Political Quotes

“Mr. President, the Senate Intelligence Committee just approved the nomination of Mr. Matthew Olsen to be the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, known as NCTC, by a unanimous voice vote. The distinguished vice chairman of the Intelligence Committee spoke on the floor earlier in support of this nomination. I would like to add to his comments and offer my support so that the Senate can take up this nomination quickly and hopefully confirm Mr. Olsen before the Senate goes on its August recess. I have tried to move quickly on this nomination because the period leading up to the tenth anniversary of 9/11 is a period of heightened threat, and one in which all parts of the national security agencies of the government need to be operating at full capacity. Mr. Olsen is currently the general counsel of the National Security Agency and has held a number of senior positions in the Department of Justice, including at the National Security Division and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Let me take just a moment to discuss the current terrorist threat and the role of the National Counterterrorism Center, or NCTC, which Mr. Olsen will be leading, if confirmed. The NCTC is the central agency within the U.S. government dealing with the identification, prevention, disruption, and analysis of terrorist threats.…”