Panetta Hearing Slated for Thursday

After an initial delay due to paperwork problems, President Obama’s nominee for CIA director will appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday for a confirmation hearing.

The committee had scheduled a hearing for Panetta last week, however the former White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta failed to submit the proper paperwork, leading the committee to postpone.

Thursday’s hearing will take place at 2:30 p.m. in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, room G-50.

Panetta’s nomination was first met with controversy when Obama announced it in early January. Obama had not notified Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) before he announced Panetta’s nomination to the public; Feinstein and outgoing committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) both indicated they weren’t thrilled with the pick upon hearing of it, with Feinstein publicly stating concerns about Panetta’s lack of direct intelligence-gathering experience.

After meeting with Obama, and after Obama’s team said not telling her had been a mistake, Feinstein supported Panetta’s nomination.