Senate reaches deal to vote on CIA pick today

The Senate has agreed to vote Thursday on the nomination of John Brennan to be the next CIA director.

The agreement came less than an hour after the White House announced that Attorney General Eric Holder responded to questions raised by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Wednesday about whether U.S. drone strikes could be used against American citizens on U.S. soil.

Paul filibustered Brennan's nomination for nearly 13 hours Wednesday, and said he would oppose any movement on it until Holder answered this question. On Thursday, Holder wrote back:

"It has come to my attention that you have now asked an additional question: 'Does the President have the authority to use a weaponized drone to kill an American not engaged in combat on American soil?' The answer to that question is no."

Shortly after 2 p.m., Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) asked for unanimous consent to hold a vote on a motion to end debate on Brennan's nomination. Without this consent, the vote would happen Saturday at the earliest.

Reid also asked that if the Senate votes to end debate, it also vote right away on Brennan's confirmation. The Senate agreed to Reid's request — the votes will start within the hour, after Sen. Paul speaks for up to 15 minutes.

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