The Senate Intelligence Committee has voted to advance the nomination of John Brennan as head of the CIA. The vote had been twice delayed in a standoff over the release of legal memos justifying the Obama administration’s assassination program, which Brennan has overseen. But panel members approved Brennan in a 12-to-3 vote after the White House agreed to provide an undisclosed number of additional memos. The New York Times reports the administration withheld the rationale for targeting non-Americans, ensuring the rules “for a vast majority of drone strikes … remain secret even from the Congressional intelligence committees.” A full Senate vote on Brennan’s nomination could come as early as next week.