Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Cotton’s Opening Remarks at Confirmation Hearing for Intelligence Officials

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Caroline Tabler or Patrick McCann (202) 224-2353
April 9, 2025

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Cotton's Opening Remarks at Confirmation Hearing for Intelligence Officials

Washington, D.C. - Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today delivered the below opening statement at the confirmation hearing of Aaron Lukas to be Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, Joseph Kent to be Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Office of the Director of National Intelligence and John Eisenberg to be Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division, Department of Justice. Below are his remarks as delivered.

The nominees before the Committee today are exceptionally well-qualified, capable, and impressive individuals with accomplished careers in public service. Their records and achievements speak for themselves.

First, Mr. Lukas has made an outsized impact on our national security through his service as a career CIA officer and Station Chief and through joint duty rotations with the National Security Council and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

With more than 20 years of intelligence experience, Mr. Lukas has the knowledge, know-how, and expertise needed to assist Director Gabbard in returning our intelligence community to its core mission of aggressively stealing secrets from our adversaries. He is joined today by his wife.

This Committee is eager to see the ODNI return to its original size, scope, and mission, which is why I am pleased to support President Trump's decision to nominate Mr. Lukas to be the Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence.

Next, Mr. Kent's 20 years of military service during the war on terror provides him with the experience and knowledge needed to lead the fight against terrorism as the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center.

Serving as a Green Beret and later a CIA officer, Mr. Kent has dedicated his entire career to courageously hunting down terrorists and keeping Americans safe.

He knows firsthand the threat that terrorism presents to our homeland and the devastation it causes. His first wife, Shannon Kent, was killed while serving in Syria in 2019, for which we all express our continued sympathy and gratitude for her service.

Mr. Kent is a soldier and a patriot who is the right person to lead the National Counterterrorism Center.

Last but not least, Mr. Eisenberg's national security expertise and legal counsel have proven indispensable to the President and senior government officials.

In the first Trump administration, Mr. Eisenberg served as the Legal Advisor to the National Security Council, Assistant to the President, and Deputy Counsel to the President for National Security Affairs.

He also previously served at the Department of Justice, where he advised the Attorney General and numerous senior other officials on complex matters, including counsel in the Intelligence Community.

I commend President Trump for nominating Mr. Eisenberg, who has the experience with national security and foreign relations law necessary to serve as the Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division at the Department of Justice.

Finally, I want to note that Mrs. Lukas, Mrs. Eisenberg, and Mr. Kent's family are here today to support our nominees. They have all supported our nominees' years of service to their country, and I thank them all for being here.

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