Senator puts hold on Trump’s pick for top uniformed cyber chief over lack of experience, ‘vague’ answers to surveillance questions
A Democratic senator on the intelligence committee said in a letter this week he would block President Donald Trump’s pick for top uniformed cyber chief because his nominee “is not qualified for this job” and after what the lawmaker characterized as “vague assurances about following the law” from the general.
In correspondence addressed to the president and published in the Congressional Record Wednesday, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said he would block the confirmation of Lt. Gen. Joshua Rudd, who Trump nominated for the dual-hat role of National Security Agency director and U.S. Cyber Command commander.
Wyden’s office confirmed to DefenseScoop Friday that the lawmaker will vote against Rudd and put a hold on his nomination. His objection threatens to put Rudd’s nomination to a formal vote, instead of approval via unanimous consent.
Rudd, who has more than 30 years experience in the military — mostly in special operations — is currently the deputy commander for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and has no military cyber background, which Wyden cited as a reason for his objection.
“General Rudd, despite his service, does not have the background that would allow him to immediately step into this role,” Wyden wrote. “He is not qualified for this job. And, when it comes to the cybersecurity of this country, there is simply no time for on-the-job learning. The threat is just too urgent for that.”
Rudd has pointed to his work in special operations and joint task forces as having prepared him for the leadership role, noting that cyber has become “inextricably linked at the hip” with America’s most elite units.
“For decades, I have had the opportunity to be a leader, consumer, enabler, generator, and integrator of intelligence and operational capabilities of NSA and Cyber Command,” he told the Senate Armed Services Committee last month. “If confirmed, I’m prepared to lead these organizations as an integrated and essential team to rapidly deliver options and solutions to our nation’s toughest security challenges at this critical time in our history.”
The Record first reported Wyden’s letter and his objection Thursday.
Most of the lawmaker’s objections focused on what he described as Rudd’s unclear answers about NSA surveillance authorities in the United States. Wyden is known as a privacy hawk and he has accused the Trump administration of “trying to invalidate the Fourth Amendment” and putting constitutional rights “under attack.”
Rudd said that “if confirmed, I will absolutely commit to executing the foreign intelligence mission of the NSA in accordance with the authorities that has been given and within all applicable laws.”
The general’s responses to questions about those authorities were apparently insufficient for Wyden.
“I did everything in my power to allow him to demonstrate some understanding of the basic guardrails of NSA’s authorities and got nothing but vague assurances about following the law,” Wyden wrote.
The Defense Department and Cybercom did not respond to DefenseScoop’s requests for comment. The White House did not provide comment prior to publication.
