8/1/2018

CIA/NOMINATIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated a retired senior Central Intelligence Agency analyst with expertise in Africa as the spy agency’s new deputy director, the White House said on Wednesday [8-1-18]. Trump, who has repeatedly questioned a U.S. intelligence assessment that Russia conducted an influence operation to swing the 2016 election in his favor, tapped Vaughn Bishop to be the agency’s second-in-command to CIA Director Gina Haspel, the announcement said. The Senate must confirm Bishop, an Indiana native who retired from the agency in 2011 following a 30-year career in which he rose to senior positions. These included the top intelligence analyst for Africa and the vice chairman of the National Intelligence Council, which produces top-secret assessments for the president. After his retirement, Bishop worked as a consultant on a CIA reorganization initiative. If Bishop is confirmed by the Senate, the agency would be led by a career officer from its clandestine service – Haspel – and a career officer from its analytical branch.”

Reuters Staff, “Trump taps retired senior CIA analyst as agency No. 2,” Reuters, August 1, 2018 2:35 pm