William Burns, US CIA Director Nominee, Unanimously Confirmed by Senate... Hardliner Against China and Russia

"Went completely bald while negotiating with Russia" Leading Hardliner
Republicans Also Approve Sanctions on Nord Stream Gas Pipeline

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] William Burns, the nominee for the first CIA Director under the Joe Biden administration, was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate. As the first diplomat to ever hold the position of CIA Director, he is known as a leading hardliner on China and Russia within the United States. He is expected to play a key role in pressuring China and Russia in line with the Biden administration's tough stance.

According to foreign media including CNN, the U.S. Senate confirmed Burns' nomination on the 18th (local time) with an unprecedented unanimous voice vote. The vote in the Senate was conducted by voice rather than a formal roll call. In a voice vote, all attending senators simultaneously call out 'aye' or 'no,' and the presiding officer decides the outcome based on the majority response.

Earlier last month, most senators supported his confirmation following a hearing, but the process was delayed due to opposition from Republican Senator Ted Cruz. Senator Cruz demanded that the Biden administration directly condemn the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project connecting Germany and Russia and called on Burns to take a clear stance against Russia.

On the same day, the State Department responded to Senator Cruz's demands by labeling the Nord Stream pipeline project a "bad deal" and issued a warning statement about additional sanctions. Subsequently, Senator Cruz withdrew his opposition to Burns' confirmation, leading to the unanimous approval of the nomination.

Burns is a veteran diplomat with 33 years of service at the State Department and is the first career diplomat to become CIA Director. He has served as ambassador to Jordan and Russia and held three senior positions at the State Department, making him one of the top experts in diplomacy. Notably, during last month's hearing, he emphasized that "my hair turned completely gray" while serving as ambassador to Russia and stressed that Russia, along with China, is a very dangerous adversary, earning strong bipartisan support from both Democrats and Republicans.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.