Texas Rep. Silvestre Reyes, an Iraq war opponent, will become chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives intelligence committee when Democrats take control of Congress in January, Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi said on Friday.In choosing Reyes, a former border patrol agent and Vietnam War veteran, Pelosi skipped over two more senior Democrats to head a panel that oversees the conduct of U.S. national security policy and counterterrorism efforts. The panel's top-ranking Democrat, California Rep. Jane Harman, has had strained relations with Pelosi, and the next in line, Rep. Alcee Hastings of Florida, is a former federal judge who was ousted from that post after allegations of corruption. Pelosi said of Reyes: "When tough questions are required, whether they relate to intelligence shortcomings before the 9/11 attacks or the war in Iraq, or to the quality of intelligence on Iran or North Korea, he does not hesitate to ask them."
The incoming Democratic-led Congress is expected to be more aggressive next year in challenging the Bush administration on security and intelligence matters, after six years in which Republican lawmakers who controlled the House and Senate were accused of rubber-stamping the White House.
But the Bush administration on Friday said it welcomed Reyes' appointment. "Congressman Reyes' lengthy service on the intelligence committee and his comprehensive understanding of the intelligence community and the challenges it faces ideally qualifies him for this important chairmanship," said John Negroponte, director of national intelligence.