Graham says he’ll back Biden’s CIA pick

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said he will support President-elect Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Graham, in a series of tweets, called former Deputy Secretary of State William Burns an “outstanding choice.”

“He is a well-known, seasoned diplomat and respected figure in the intelligence community. Like outgoing Director Haspell, Burns will be a steady hand at the helm of the CIA. I look forward to supporting his nomination,” Graham tweeted.

Biden announced earlier Monday that he had tapped Burns as his nominee to be CIA director. Burns, a career diplomat who retired in 2014, has more than three decades of experience in the foreign service and serves as president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

If confirmed, Burns would take the helm of the intelligence unit responsible for gathering, analyzing and disseminating foreign intelligence to support U.S. policy efforts.

Because Democrats have a 50-50 Senate majority he could technically be confirmed without support from Republicans if the entire Democratic caucus votes for him.

But Graham’s tweet underscores that he’s likely to get bipartisan support as a former official who is well known to Republicans on Capitol Hill.

Graham has also praised Biden’s decision to pick Judge Merrick Garland to be his attorney general.