Because he has the most seniority among Republicans on the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, the common assumption on Capitol Hill is that Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., will be the new chairman when Republicans reassert their control of the chamber after Nov. 5 election gains.
"There hasn't been any official word," Roberts' press secretary Sarah Ross said Wednesday. "But we are assuming in all likelihood he will be the chairman. But the senator's not doing any interviews about it until he's officially named."
Ross said that likely would happen in mid-December or January, "depending on when the party organizes."
The committee is expected to play a key role if the Bush administration agrees to further investigation by an independent commission of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
More about the intelligence committee's work can be found at intelligence.senate.gov.
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