Hispanic Rep. Reyes picked to head intel committee

Future U.S. House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi chose Hispanic congressman Silvestre Reyes to be the new chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. Reyes- a Vietnam War veteran and former Border Patrol agent- was picked ahead of more senior Democrats representing Florida and California. The 5-term Congressman has been very critical of President George W. Bush’s intelligence policy, especially after the 9/11 attacks.

Reyes will be the second Hispanic to head a Congressional committee starting in January. (New York Representative Nydia Velazquez was chosen by Pelosi to head the Small Business Committee).

Links- San Francisco Chronicle, International Herald Tribune, Washington Post, Wikipedia, The Hill

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Tags- United States, Congress, Democrats