John Brennan confirmed as CIA head after filibuster

The US Senate has confirmed John Brennan as the new director of the CIA, after a senator's 13-hour speech delayed the vote.

Senator Rand Paul took to the Senate floor on Wednesday to question whether President Obama had authority to order drone strikes on Americans on US soil.

Attorney General Eric Holder replied the president claimed no such power.

Some of Mr Obama's second-term nominees have faced protracted confirmation battles with Senate Republicans.

"With the bipartisan confirmation of John Brennan as director of the Central Intelligence Agency, the Senate has recognised in John the qualities I value so much," President Barack Obama said in a statement.

"With John's 25 years of experience at the Agency, our extraordinary men and women of the CIA will be led by one of their own."

Mr Brennan was President Obama's top counter-terrorism adviser and he had long appeared to hold enough votes to win confirmation.

But a final vote was held up by both Sen Paul's marathon speech, known as a filibuster, and by requests from an intelligence panel to see White House documents laying out the legal basis for drone strikes on US citizens in anti-militant strikes overseas.

Mr Brennan was confirmed on Thursday by a 63-34 vote.