The White House is reassessing candidates to succeed Adm. Dennis C. Blair as director of national intelligence in the face of congressional opposition to the appointment of the administration’s leading contender, officials say.
James R. Clapper Jr., a retired Air Force lieutenant general serving as undersecretary of defense for intelligence, had been the top candidate for the job, according to officials familiar with the selection process. But since Blair’s resignation announcement last week, lawmakers have suggested that they would prefer his successor not be a military figure.
On Wednesday, a senior administration official described Clapper as “still a candidate” and “still a possibility” but declined to describe him as the front-runner, as officials had done just days before.
Full story: White House rethinking top candidate for national intelligence chief – Washington Post