“The following officers of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), in the order listed, shall act as and perform the functions and duties of the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (D/CIA), during any period in which the D/CIA has died, resigned, or otherwise becomes unable to perform the functions and duties of the office of D/CIA.”
Memorandum on Providing an Order of Succession Within the Central Intelligence Agency — The White House (June 14 2019)
June 14 2020 — By early June 2019, it was clear that the CIA had strongly supported the premise that there was collusion between the Russians and Donald Trump’s campaign. On June 12 2019, The New York Times published an article titled “Justice Department Seeks to Question C.I.A. in Its Own Russia Investigation.” Given the lack of evidence, U.S. Attorney General William Barr suspected the real motives were political. Thus, considering the links between CIA Director Haspel and former CIA Director John Brennan, many observers predicted that Trump would dismiss Haspel. But it did not happen. Why on earth not? Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY
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“The agency will not be led by a political hack like Mike Pompeo, a CIA insider like John Brennan, or someone associated with the crimes of torture, secret prisons or international renditions like Gina Haspel. Instead it will be led by [William Burns] someone with experience engaging across a negotiating table with America’s enemies, someone experienced in solving problems, rather than creating new ones, someone who has dedicated much of his career to promoting peace, rather than to creating war.”
Former CIA officer John Kiriakou
UPDATE (June 14 2021) — On January 19 2021, a CIA tweet announced that CIA Director Gina Haspel had resigned.
President-elect Joe Biden has picked William Burns to be the next CIA director and David Cohen to serve as deputy director of the CIA.
On March 18 2021, William J. Burns was confirmed by a unanimous vote in the Senate to become CIA director.
[Cohen was therefore acting Director from January 20, 2021 to March 19, 2021.]
RELATED POST: William Burns at the CIA… What to expect?
Unlike some of her predecessors — Michael Morell, John Brennan — Haspel has not been seen in a public event since the day she resigned from the CIA.
END of UPDATE
“I am honored and delighted to once again join the leadership team at CIA. I will do my very best to ensure the CIA’s dedicated intelligence officers have what they need to continue to present honest analysis and unvarnished intelligence to the President and other policymakers.”
Acting Director Cohen (Jan 21 2021)
In the Fall 2016, CIA Director John Brennan submitted a new “Order of Succession Within the Central Intelligence Agency” while Spygate was in full gear.
On September 16 2016, with the presidential election less than two months away, the White House issued a Presidential Memorandum which turned into law the list Brennan had recommended.
The 2016 presidential memorandum was not published.
It does not appeared in the Federal Register, like other such memoranda, and it was not posted contemporaneously on the White House website in 2016 nor in the compilation of presidential documents for that year.
Three years later…
By early June 2019, it appears that the White House was perfectly willing to replace Haspel.
After all, London seemed to have played a key role in Spygate and Haspel was the London Chief of Station at the time of these events.
So, we can only guess that the White House requested an updated “order of succession”.
This much is certain.
On June 14 2019, the White House issued a Presidential Memorandum providing an “Order of Succession Within the Central Intelligence Agency”.
This Memorandum was immediately published.
The order of succession determines who (according to a list of 12 persons) will act and perform the functions and duties of the CIA Director in the event Gina Haspel “resigns”.
By now, you may be curious to know who are the good apostles?
Most people on the list were also in senior positions under former CIA Director John Brennan.
Several were actually handpicked by Brennan, and a couple were even brought out of retirement to serve in those senior positions.
Worse, some of those same individuals were brought out of retirement a second time by Gina Haspel to once again serve in the most senior positions at the CIA.
The message from Haspel was abundantly clear:
“Fire me if you dare.”
Indeed, the dismissal of Gina Haspel would have been suicidal, as anyone on the list is a Brennan’s protégée. Never underestimate the Deep State…
Gina Haspel insurance plan : The 2019 CIA order of succession
(a) Deputy Director, CIA : Vaughn Bishop (Since: August 1 2018)
(b) Chief Operating Officer, CIA — Andrew (Andy) Makridis (Since: August 22 2018)
(c) Deputy Director of CIA for Operations — Elizabeth Kimber (Since: December 2018)
(d) Deputy Director of CIA for Analysis — Cynthia “Didi” Rapp (Since: January 5 2019)
(e) Deputy Director of CIA for Science and Technology — Dawn Meyerriecks (Since: June 2013)
(f) Deputy Director of CIA for Digital Innovation — ??? [Andrew Hallman (Until October 2019)]
[Sean P Roche — Associate Deputy Director of Digital Innovation — may be currently acting as Deputy Director of CIA for Digital Innovation. In such “Acting” position, he cannot become D/CIA.]
(g) Deputy Director of CIA for Support — Elizabeth “Betsy” Davis (Since: August 2019)
(h) General Counsel, CIA — Courtney Simmons Elwood (Since: June 2017)
(i) Deputy Chief Operating Officer, CIA — John G. Edwards (Since: March 18 2019)
(j) Senior CIA Representative for the United Kingdom — Classified
(k) Senior CIA Representative for the East Coast — Classified
(l) Senior CIA Representative for the West Coast — Classified
REFERENCES
Memorandum on Providing an Order of Succession Within the Central Intelligence Agency — The White House (June 14 2019)
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Order of Succession Within the Central Intelligence Agency [June 14 2019]
CIA — Order of Succession… In the event of a Major Global Catastrophe.
CIA Order of Succession 2019 — When Haspel Ripped a Page from Hoover Book
One Year Ago — CIA New Order of Succession (June 14 2019)
Two Years Ago — CIA New Order of Succession (June 14 2019)
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