London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Oct 20, 2025

Avril Haines hints at bipartisan national security policy

Avril Haines hints at bipartisan national security policy

It is time to operate in the world of facts.
Avril Haines, President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee for director of national intelligence, may be among his least controversial picks. Introduced by Dan Coats, President Trump’s former DNI, at her confirmation hearings on Tuesday, Haines received praise from both Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.), who noted her deep experience and academic prowess in national security.

As the hearing began, one could sense a return to some level of normalcy in the operations of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Facts, it turns out, can be unifying. Both Warner and Rubio, who serve as vice chair and acting chair respectively, acknowledged that the bipartisan consensus on China — economic liberalization would bring political liberalization — was wrong. Both expressed hope for nonpolitical intelligence analysis.

Haines, in her opening remarks and in her responses to initial questions, said nothing that should or did raise concerns from either side. In the post-Trump world, neither side is going to quibble with her observations that “to be effective, the DNI must never shy away from speaking truth to power — even, especially, when doing so may be inconvenient or difficult. To safeguard the integrity of our Intelligence Community, the DNI must insist that, when it comes to intelligence, there is simply no place for politics — ever.”

Likewise, her tough description of our challenges with China seemed to be in sync with the committee’s views. She promised to “provide the necessary intelligence to support long-term bipartisan efforts to out-compete China — gaining and sharing insight into China’s intentions and capabilities, while also supporting more immediate efforts to counter Beijing’s unfair, illegal, aggressive and coercive actions, as well as its human rights violations, whenever we can.” Asked whether she viewed China as an “adversary,” she explained that Biden overall saw China as a “global competitor,” but in areas such as espionage and trade, it was certainly an “adversary.”

Warner, while acknowledging that white supremacy is not in the intelligence community’s direct purview, asked how she saw her role in combating domestic terrorists. She said the intelligence community will have “an important role” in uncovering connections to any foreign groups.

She also promised to provide the committee with an assessment of QAnon, which the current administration did not, and called waterboarding torture, and hence illegal.

As for Iran, Haines told Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) that while Biden did want to reenter the Iran nuclear deal “if Iran came back into compliance,” she said we are a “long ways from that” happening. She also cautioned that in moving back into the nuclear deal, we would need to look at Iran’s missile development and “other destabilizing” actions. The assumption by Republicans that Biden was simply going to capitulate to Iran for the sake of restarting the deal appears to have been off-base.

The level of tone of the questions, the demeanor of the questioners and the tenor of answers Haines provided were best described as subdued. And that perhaps is the best one can hope for in the realm of intelligence. A devotion to facts, a recognition of who our enemies actually are and a professional dedication to unbiased analysis — all missing in the four years of the current, chaotic administration — are now back in fashion. That is the best news one could hope for coming out of this hearing.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
×