Third time’s a charm.
John S. Pistole (photo by Ryan J. Reilly / Main Justice)
The Senate confirmed John S. Pistole, the former Deputy Director of the FBI, to head the Transportation Security Administration Friday.
Pistole, who became the second-highest ranking official at the FBI in 2004, was the White House’s third pick to head the agency.
The Senate confirmed him by voice vote without debate. Pistole charmed senators at his confirmation hearing earlier this month, prompting praise from both Democrats and Republicans.
Before his nomination to head TSA, Pistole had worked for the FBI since 1983 in Minneapolis, New York, Boston, Indiana and Washington D.C.
President Barack Obama first nominated Erroll G. Southers, a former FBI agent and head of the Los Angeles Airport police, to lead the TSA. He withdrew in January after questions arose about whether Southers used a federal database to look into his ex-wife’s boyfriend.
The White House then nominated Maj. Gen. Robert A. Harding, a retired Army intelligence officer, but he withdrew in March amid a controversy over his previous work as a defense contractor.
