Bush nominates Chertoff for homeland security chief
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Bush nominated federal judge Michael Chertoff as the new homeland security chief Tuesday, completing the second-term Cabinet with a former prosecutor who recently called for a new look at the tough terrorist detainee laws that he helped craft after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Chertoff, who took his seat on the 3rd U.S. Court of Appeals less than two years ago, is expected to win Senate approval easily. He has won confirmation three times during his career, as U.S. attorney in New Jersey, assistant attorney general and appellate judge.
Chertoff would replace Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, who helped build the new department after the terror attacks by combining 22 existing federal agencies. Ridge plans to step down from his post Feb. 1.
Chertoff was the president’s second pick for the job. Bush’s first choice, former New York City police commissioner Bernard Kerik, withdrew last month, citing immigration problems regarding a nanny.
His resume includes a stint as a Supreme Court clerk and as the Senate Republicans’ chief counsel for the Clinton-era Whitewater investigation. He helped develop the USA Patriot Act, which greatly expanded the government’s surveillance and detention powers.
His role in crafting that law, a measure that has become a flashpoint for critics who say it has eroded civil liberties, is expected to bring sharp questioning in Senate confirmation hearings.
The administration also announced Tuesday that White House homeland security adviser Fran Townsend would continue to serve in the same position in Bush’s second term. Townsend had been mentioned as a possible candidate for the new post of director of national intelligence director, which has yet to be filled.
