Obama picks FBI veteran Pistole to lead TSA

Obama picks FBI veteran Pistole to lead TSA    President Obama on Monday named John S. Pistole, the No. 2 man at the FBI, as his nominee to head the Transportation Security Administration after his first two picks dropped out of the confirmation process because of missteps in their past.
   The TSA has been without a permanent, political leader since Obama took office in January 2009. Gail Rossides has served as TSA’s acting administrator for almost 18 months.

Pistole

   Pistole has been deputy director of the FBI since 2004. A career FBI officer, he previously worked in the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division in several high-level roles, culminating as executive assistant director for counterterrorism and counterintelligence. In 1999, he helped lead the investigative and recovery efforts for the Egypt Air Flight 990 crash off the coast of Rhode Island.
   Pistole’s two decades of service with the FBI give him a unique perspective on the nexus of security operations, law enforcement and intelligence,’ John D. Rockefeller, chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, said in a statement. ‘I have worked with Mr. Pistole over the years, and I believe he is a strong manager capable of getting the job done.’
   Pistole’s nomination will go through the Commerce Committee for review.
   Erroll Southers, a deputy police chief with the Los Angeles airport department, was Obama’s first selection last fall to head the TSA but withdrew from consideration after disclosing he improperly conducted a background check on someone while at the FBI for personal reasons. Obama’s second choice, retired Army Maj. Gen. Robert Harding, withdrew after senators raised questions about his business dealings with the U.S. government.