It’s all inside baseball, but for those who are watching the effort to rein in the Fourth Branch of government it is also quite interesting.
CIA Deputy Director Michael Ellis (pictured left) has removed the acting CIA general counsel and put himself into the role until President Trump’s nominee Joshua Simmons can be confirmed by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
Deputy Director Ellis, like DNI Tulsi Gabbard is a solid MAGA ally. Without knowing the reason for his decision to remove the CIA general counsel, the New York Times is not happy.
WASHINGTON DC – Michael Ellis, the deputy director of the C.I.A., has abruptly demoted a career lawyer who had been serving as the agency’s acting general counsel since January and installed himself in that role, according to people familiar with the matter.
[…] It was not clear what was behind Mr. Ellis’s taking personal control of making legal judgments for the agency while continuing to help lead it, but the move raised alarms among some current and former intelligence officials.
[…] The C.I.A. did not specifically address questions about what was behind the move and whether it raised conflict-of-interest issues. But in a statement, a C.I.A. spokeswoman, Liz Lyons, noted that Mr. Trump had nominated a State Department lawyer, Joshua Simmons, for the role. The Senate Intelligence Committee has scheduled a confirmation hearing for him on Wednesday.
“The deputy director is a highly respected national security lawyer and intelligence professional,” Ms. Lyons said. “This temporary arrangement was approved by career agency attorneys while the Senate considers President Trump’s nominee, Josh Simmons, for C.I.A. general counsel.
