Tom Cotton to Chair Senate Intelligence Committee Under Trump: Report

Tom Cotton is set to be chair for the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee during President-elect Donald Trump’s second term in the White House, according Punchbowl News reporter Jake Sherman.
This appointment would position the 47-year-old Senator from Arkansas in a leading role, overseeing national intelligence matters in the Senate. Sherman in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday called it “one of the most critical national security positions on Capitol Hill.”
Cotton, a former Army infantry officer and veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, was an early Trump supporter and advised him during his first presidency.
Last week, Axios reported that Cotton told Trump’s transition team that he would not accept roles in the new administration and would stay in the Senate. He had previously been a top contender for positions including CIA director and Secretary of Defense.
The Senate Intelligence Committee audits and authorizes funding for the U.S. intelligence agencies, which include the CIA, the NSA, and the intelligence operations of the FBI, the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Energy, and the Department of State, all of which are likely to face heavy scrutiny from the incoming administration.
Newsweek has contacted Cotton’s office via email for comment.
A former Army infantry officer and veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, Cotton was an early Trump supporter and advised him during his first presidency.
Last week, Axios reported that Cotton told Donald Trump’s transition team that he would not accept roles in Trump’s administration and would stay in the Senate.
He had previously been a top contender for positions including CIA director and Secretary of Defense
One of Trump’s campaign promises is to dismantle what he calls the “deep state,” by which he means unelected bureaucrats in agencies such as the CIA, the FBI, and the State Department, many of whom he alleges are corrupt.
After the failed assassination attempt against Trump by Thomas Matthew Crooks in Butler, Pennsylvania in July, many in the Republican Party suggested that the FBI and the Secret Service were not being fully transparent in their investigations into the shooting.
Kash Patel, a top contender to be named Trump’s CIA director, wrote a book called Government Gangsters, which calls for a clearing out of the Justice Department and the Intelligence community by firing top officials and prosecuting civil servants he says abused their authority for political ends.”
Florida Senator Marco Rubio currently serves as vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and was touted to become chair in January after Republicans won a Senate majority in the 2024 Election.
However, Rubio is reportedly set to join’s Trump’s cabinet as Secretary of State, vacating his position as Senator and leaving the committee chair position open for Cotton.
Florida’s governor appoints an interim replacement for vacant U.S. Senate seats, giving Governor Ron DeSantis the authority to choose Rubio’s successor if the nomination proceeds.