Confirmation hearing for Biden's spy chief nominee postponed

The Senate Intelligence Committee announced late Thursday night that it would postpone Friday’s confirmation hearing for President-elect Joe Biden's pick to be the next director of national intelligence, Avril Haines.

One congressional source said the delay was due to a committee Republican objecting to holding the session virtually.

“Despite the unusual circumstances on Capitol Hill, the committee is working in good faith to move this nominee as fast as possible and ensure the committee's members have an opportunity to question the nominee in both open and closed settings,” acting Intelligence Chair Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.), the panel’s vice chair, said in a joint statement.

The DNI “plays a crucial role in overseeing the 18 agencies that make up our nation’s Intelligence Community, and the committee looks forward to holding a hearing next week with Ms. Haines,” they added.

It was not immediately clear if the session will be rescheduled before or after next Wednesday's inauguration.

Key context: Haines' confirmation hearing was supposed to be the first for Biden's Cabinet. Instead, Haines joins a slew of other national security picks still awaiting their chance to appear on Capitol Hill, including the proposed leaders of DHS, the State Department and the Pentagon.

The transition process has been marred with delays because President Donald Trump spent months making baseless claims that Biden stole the election. It was further complicated by dual Senate run-offs in Georgia that ultimately flipped the balance of power in the upper chamber.

A new threat to getting Biden's team in place could be Trump's looming second impeachment trial, which likely won't start until next week.

Biden has urged his old colleagues to push ahead with the trial while still confirming his nominees and pursuing his agenda.