McConnell Vows to Keep Panel in Loop

National Intelligence Director-designate, retired Vice Adm. Michael McConnell testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 1, 2007 during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Select Intelligence Committee. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook) (Dennis Cook - AP)

For the past decade he has worked for Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., a large defense and intelligence consulting company with sales of $3.7 billion worldwide. A specialist in the subjects of cyber security and critical infrastructure assurance, he has been earning a salary of almost $2 million a year.

The White House has made clear that McConnell would divest his company's stock if confirmed, and a Booz Allen Hamilton spokesman has said the company will establish contracting firewalls to avoid conflicts of interest with McConnell.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said he still finds it "troubling how little information is available about private contractors who are doing an increasing amount of work for the intelligence agencies."

Wyden also asked McConnell about his role as a contractor in the Total Information Awareness data-mining program, which was discontinued in 2003 amid criticism that it was collecting personal information of private citizens. McConnell said his advice had been that information should be used only if it adhered to the Constitution and current laws and values.

Asked by Wyden about the use of private contractors as interrogators, an issue the Pentagon and CIA have had to deal with as part of the detainee abuse problem, McConnell responded: "I can't imagine using our contractors for something like that."

Bond later noted that there might be occasions, such as when a detainee who speaks a rare language must be questioned, when "a properly supervised" contract employee might be the only way to get badly needed information.

Several senators asked whether McConnell, as a military man accustomed to following orders, would speak out if the president was given inappropriate or slanted intelligence, as critics say occurred in the run-up to the Iraq War.

He said he would be forthright with the president and Congress when there are issues over the accuracy of intelligence. "The first calling of an intelligence officer is to speak truth to power."

The first director of national intelligence, John Negroponte, has been nominated to become deputy secretary of the State Department.