Lindsey Graham

Graham Plans to Grill Obama's Commerce Secretary Pick On Labor Issues And Service On Boeing's Board

Susan Crabtree | May 31, 2011, 5:25PM

Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC)

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) plans to question President Obama's choice for Commerce secretary on an issue related to union bargaining rights and Boeing.

John Bryson, who Obama tapped Tuesday to replace outgoing Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, serves on Boeing's board of directors though he will be forced to step down and recuse himself from any matters dealing with the defense giant, if confirmed by the Senate.

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Barack Obama

Obama Taps Bryson As Commerce Secretary

Susan Crabtree | May 31, 2011, 1:27PM

John Bryson

President Barack Obama announced the nomination of businessman John Bryson to head the Commerce Department at the White House on Tuesday.

Bryson's name has been mentioned as a potential cabinet post since Obama won election in 2008. As a former chairman and CEO of Edison International, the parent company of Southern California Edison, and a co-founder of the Natural Resources Defense Council, he has straddled business and environmental activist circles. He also has served as a member of the United Nation's advisory group on energy and climate change.

During his tenure as the head of the California Public Utilities Commission in the early 1990s, Bryson angered some in the environmental community by arguing against renewable energy construction projects and defending the state's reliance on nuclear power.

If confirmed by the Senate, Bryson would replace outgoing Commerce Secretary Gary Locke who Obama tapped as the next ambassador to China.

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john bryson

Obama To Nominate John Bryson As Commerce Secretary

Susan Crabtree | May 31, 2011, 11:46AM

John Bryson

President Barack Obama plans to nominate businessman John Bryson to head the Commerce Department, according to a White House official.

Bryson's name has been mentioned as a potential cabinet post since Obama won election in 2008. As a former chairman and CEO of Edison International, the parent company of Southern California Edison, and a co-founder of the Natural Resources Defense Council, he has straddled business and environmental activist circles. He also has served as a member of the United Nation's advisory group on energy and climate change.

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