(Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday nominated Harry Coker, who has served in leadership positions at the CIA and the National Security Agency, for the role of national cyber director, the White House said, after deciding against the acting boss.
Earlier this month, a source told Reuters that Kemba Walden, who has been acting director since mid-February, would not be considered to serve in a permanent role because of personal debt issues that would make her difficult to confirm.
Walden had confirmed to the Washington Post that she had withdrawn from consideration.
The vetting process is designed to assess whether a candidate has any issues that would prove disqualifying in a Senate confirmation process, a U.S. official told Reuters at the time.
The administration has had a tough time getting nominees through this year, including Biden’s pick for labor secretary, Julie Su, and has had to withdraw several nominees since March. Democrats have only a narrow majority in the Senate.
The Office of the National Cyber Director was set up in 2021 and worked on developing Biden’s cybersecurity strategy, which was released in March 2023, aiming to improve industry accountability over critical infrastructure, such as hospitals and dams.
(Reporting by Ismail Shakil and Costas Pitas; Editing by Tim Ahmann and Leslie Adler)