Taking his turn at Panetta, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) raised a question that could pose a new problem for the new Obama administration already reeling in the wake of Tom Daschle’s withdrawal as the nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services.
According to Coburn, retired Adm. Dennis Blair, Obama’s director of national intelligence, has asked John Deutch, a CIA director during the Clinton administration, to serve on an advisory panel overseeing sensitive satellite programs.
The problem, Coburn said, is that Deutch had his security clearance revoked for mishandling classified information on his unsecured computers at home.
Caught off guard, Panetta said he’d have to check into the matter.
“This is the first time I’ve heard that,” he said. “I don’t want to jump to any quick conclusions. Clearly, this is something I need to talk to [Blair] about.”