Deputy CIA Director Richard J. Kerr will stand in as acting director until the Senate, diverted by the Iran-Contra affair, confirms a replacement for outgoing agency chief William Webster.
The CIA public affairs office said Thursday that Webster's delayed retirement after four years at the helm will become official on Sunday and Kerr will take over as acting director on Monday.Webster announced in May that he was retiring from government service at the end of July to go into private law practice. President Bush, however, asked him to remain a little longer when the Senate postponed until Sept. 16 confirmation hearings on designated successor Robert Gates.
The Senate Intelligence Committee was supposed to start those hearings on July but put them off to pursue new information regarding Gates' role in the Iran-Contra affair.