Senator Tom Cotton is on track to lead the powerful Senate Intelligence Committee when the new Congress convenes in January, The Post has learned.
Cotton (R-Ark.), an Army infantry officer who served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, is expected to replace outgoing Vice President Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) — the pick of President-elect Donald Trump to become the next Secretary of State — as the top GOP senator on the 17-member panel.
The elevation of Cotton, that earlier has ruled himself out of a position in Trump’s second administrationwas first reported by Punchbowl News.
Although Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) surpass Cotton in seniority on the Intelligence Committee, they are expected to leapfrog Cotton to assume the chairmanship, senior sources at the Republican Senate.
Risch and Collins will in turn chair the Senate Foreign Relations and Appropriations committees, respectively, the sources said.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) is poised to chair the powerful Senate Intelligence Committee in the next Congress, The Post has learned. REUTERS
The Intelligence Committee receives regular classified briefings from executive agencies — and Cotton will be a key figure in what Trump has called his fight against “deep state” bureaucrats who obstructed his agenda during his first administration.
Cotton was a respected member of the intelligence panel and led calls a ban on all flights between the US and China in January 2020 in an attempt to halt the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic from Wuhan – and was later the first major political figure to put forward the theory, now widely accepted that the virus leaked from a laboratory in the central Chinese city.
GOP insiders familiar with the succession confirmed that Rubio, Florida’s senior U.S. senator, will become the next secretary of state. AFP via Getty Images
Republicans will regain the coveted Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Appropriations seats with their new Senate majority, which will be 53 to 47 when the 119th Congress convenes and lawmakers are sworn in on January 3.
However, with the loss of Rubio and newly elected Vice President J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Buckeye State Governor Mike DeWine and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will have to select replacements for those seats and call a special election for a plan for a later date.
CQ Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images
Cotton informed Trump’s transition team last week that he was not seeking a post in the administration. Axios reportedalthough his name was mentioned a top national security post, such as FBI director, CIA director or secretary of defense.
Cotton, 47, also a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is a defense hawk and was seen as a staunch defender of Trump’s agenda in the 45th president’s administration.
Last year, Cotton called for a “massive” U.S retaliation against Iran after its terrorist allies fired on US troops and allies in the Middle East.
The 47-year-old senator, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is a defense hawk and was seen as a staunch defender of Trump’s agenda during the previous administration. REUTERS
However, Arkansas Republicans split from Vance’s opposition to spending $60 billion in military aid to Ukraine. an important vote in the Senate in April.
Republicans in the House of Representatives are also expected to keep their majority, but will have to fill the seats vacated by Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), whom Trump has selected as U.S. ambassador at the United Nations and the national government. safety advisor, respectively.
A spokeswoman for Cotton did not respond to a request for comment.