President Barack Obama will tap Jeh Johnson, former general counsel for the Defense Department, to lead the Department of Homeland Security, the Daily Beast reported Thursday.
Obama will announce the nomination Friday, two anonymous White House officials told the Daily Beast.
Johnson has experience with national security and counterterrorism issues, but less knowledge of other DHS components like immigration and disaster response.
“The president is selecting Johnson because he is one of the most highly qualified and respected national security leaders, having served as the senior lawyer for the largest government agency in the world,” a senior administration official told The Daily Beast.
