Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Senators Press DNI General Counsel Nominee on Section 702 Reauthorization and Leak Notifications
Loading...
Summary
During the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence hearing, nominee John Deaver said he supports reauthorization of Section 702 and committed to keeping the Senate "fully and currently informed" about significant unauthorized disclosures; senators pressed him on past ODNI public statements and committee notification obligations.
John Deaver, the nominee to be general counsel of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, told the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence that he supports reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and pledged to keep the Senate "fully and currently informed" about significant unauthorized disclosures.
Senator Angus King asked whether Deaver supports reauthorization of Section 702, which must be renewed by Congress. Deaver replied, "I do," and said that if confirmed he would "start by looking at how we're doing with the recent RISA reforms" and consult committee oversight as appropriate. He also said reforms and culture across authorizing statutes and directives should be assessed.
Senators questioned Deaver about an ODNI public statement that referred intelligence-community leaks to the Department of Justice and whether the committee had been notified in the manner required by statute. Senator King noted that the committee had not received a formal notification despite ODNI public statements in April referring certain disclosures for criminal referral. Deaver committed that, if confirmed, he "firmly commit[s] to keeping the senate fully and currently informed." He acknowledged he would review whether required notifications had been made and promised to work with the committee.
Committee members emphasized the statutory requirement that the DNI notify Congress promptly of "significant unauthorized disclosures or compromises of classified national intelligence" and of referrals to DOJ. Senators pressed Deaver to ensure that future referrals and damage assessments reach the committee at the same time as executive-branch actions.
Deaver also discussed compliance and culture, citing his experience as a federal prosecutor and compliance executive and saying the IC must balance national security authorities with constitutional protections. The committee said it will send written questions for the record and expects timely responses.
No vote occurred at the hearing; senators indicated they plan a committee business meeting after the July work period to consider these nominations.
