Cohen Says He Would Not Accept CIA Post

Sen. William S. Cohen (R-Maine), widely reported to be under consideration for a top Cabinet post in the Clinton administration, said Sunday that he is not interested in running the CIA.

“It’s not an area of high interest for me,” Cohen said on CNN’s “Late Edition.” But he said he would consider an offer to be secretary of State or Defense.

Cohen, who served on the Senate Intelligence Committee for a decade, is retiring from the Senate. He said he has not heard directly from the White House, but “an administration official” had approached him about “a range of positions.”