We told you last week that Rubio was in the running to take Richard Burr’s position as chairman of the Senate Intel Committee, as he stepped down while being investigated for his recent stock trades. Well now Rubio has just been chosen by McConnell to lead the group:
McConnell taps Rubio as acting chairman of Senate Intelligence Committee https://t.co/uCgkfyGNTW pic.twitter.com/paeEVDshvD
— CBS News (@CBSNews) May 18, 2020
Here’s more:
Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida has been selected to serve as the acting chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced Monday, after Senator Richard Burr temporarily stepped down from the post amid scrutiny over his stock trades.
“The senior senator for Florida is a talented and experienced Senate leader with expertise in foreign affairs and national security matters. Senator Rubio was the natural choice for this temporary assignment on the basis of accumulated committee service,” McConnell said in a statement. “His proven leadership on pertinent issues only made the decision easier.”
Rubio also chairs the Senate Small Business Committee and is the second-highest-ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
“I am grateful to Leader McConnell for his confidence in me to lead the Senate Intelligence Committee during Senator Burr’s absence from the chairmanship,” the Florida senator said in a statement. “The committee has long been one that conducts its work seriously, and I look forward to continuing that tradition.”
What this likely means is that Rubio will be the next permanent chairman of the Senate Intel Committee, assuming he stays in Congress, Republicans don’t lose the Senate anytime soon and Burr doesn’t change his mind about retiring when his term is up in 2022.
What do you think about Rubio leading this powerful committee?