Politics

Mitch McConnell Selects Rubio As Acting Chairman Of The Senate Intelligence Committee

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) questions Kelly Craft, President Trump's nominee to be Representative to the United Nations

Photo by Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images

Henry Rodgers Chief National Correspondent
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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell selected Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio on Monday as the acting Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman.

McConnell made the announcement in a statement saying he believes Rubio is the best person for the job. This comes after the previous Chairman, North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr, announced Thursday that he will be resigning from his position after it was revealed the FBI had seized his cell phone Wednesday as part of their insider trading investigation.

“I am glad to announce that Senator Marco Rubio has accepted my invitation to serve as Acting Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. The senior senator for Florida is a talented and experienced Senate leader with expertise in foreign affairs and national security matters. Senator Rubio was the natural choice for this temporary assignment on the basis of accumulated committee service. His proven leadership on pertinent issues only made the decision easier,” McConnell said in a statement. (RELATED: Sen. Rubio Urges Trump Administration To Protect Worker Interests With Paycheck Protection Program)

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 12: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks to members of the press after the weekly Senate Republican Policy Luncheon at Hart Senate Office Building May 12, 2020 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Senate Republicans held the weekly luncheon to discuss their agenda. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

“Senator Rubio has spent a decade as a leading member on the Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committees. His care for our nation’s security, advocacy for our values and interests, and vigilance toward threats have earned a national reputation. On subjects ranging from China and Russia to Iran and North Korea to tyranny and unrest in our own hemisphere, Senator Rubio has been on the case for years,” McConnell continued in the statement. (RELATED: Rubio Releases Video Offering Ice Cream To Pelosi If She Agrees To Fund Small Businesses)

Minutes after McConnell’s announcement, Rubio responded by saying “I am grateful to Leader McConnell for his confidence in me to lead the Senate Intelligence Committee during Senator Burr’s absence from the Chairmanship. The Committee has long been one that conducts its work seriously, and I look forward to continuing that tradition.”