WASHINGTON, July 7 (UPI) -- Former U.S. Navy Secretary John Lehman, now a member of the panel investigating Sept. 11, is reportedly under consideration to become director of the CIA.
The White House recently confirmed the decision to choose a new, permanent CIA chief might not come before the November election. However, MSNBC reported Wednesday, the announcement of Lehman's nomination could come as early as Thursday.
Lehman would replace former CIA Director George Tenet, who announced in June he was stepping down from the job he has held since the Clinton administration.
The man behind the Reagan administration's 600-ship Navy, Lehman is now thought to be the principal alternative to U.S. Rep. Porter Goss, R-Fla., the current chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and a former agency employee who is believed to be the White House's first choice for the job.
A partisan Republican, Goss would likely run into heavy opposition from Senate Democrats during the confirmation process.
Formerly an investment banker with Paine Webber Inc., Lehman is the chairman of J.F. Lehman & Co., an investment firm. He served 25 years in the U.S. Naval Reserve and was Navy Secretary from 1981 to 1987.
