President Biden on Friday appointed William J. Burns, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, to his cabinet, citing the agency’s work in providing “good intelligence, delivered with honesty and integrity” about China, the Russia-Ukraine conflict and emerging technologies.
“Bill has always provided me with a clear, straightforward analysis that prioritizes the safety and security of the American people, and reflects the integral role the CIA plays in our national security decision-making at this critical time,” Biden said in a statement.
Mr. Burns, an accomplished diplomat with a career spanning more than three decades, has been a key player in the government’s efforts to thwart Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He traveled to Moscow before the invasion and has been in Kiev several times since the beginning of the war to confer with the country’s leaders.
The position of CIA director had been at the cabinet level until 2005, when the position of director of national intelligence was created in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks. From that year onwards, the director of national intelligence, not of the CIA, served in the cabinet.
Former President Donald J. Trump changed that in 2017 by placing both intelligence directors in his cabinet. But Mr. Biden changed it back when he took office in 2021. With his decision on Friday, both functions are back in the cabinet.
The new status – which is largely symbolic and not expected to bring any new responsibilities for Mr Burns – is a boost to the agency’s credibility after coming under heavy criticism for intelligence failures two decades ago.
In his statement, Mr. Biden praised the agency’s work and said Mr. Burns, along with Avril D. Haines, the current director of national intelligence, has provided information that gives the country “a critical strategic advantage” in its foreign policy.
“Under his leadership, the CIA is delivering a clear, long-term approach to our nation’s greatest national security challenges,” Biden said.
Mr. Burns entered the Foreign Service in the early 1980s and has been a player in US foreign policy ever since, serving presidents of both parties.
Former President George W. Bush appointed him Ambassador to Russia in 2005 and held top positions in former President Barack Obama’s State Department.
In 2013, Mr. Burns, a senior Obama administration official who led secret negotiations with Iran to reach an agreement that would limit Iran’s nuclear program. He later retired from government to become president of the Carnegie Institute for International Peace.
In addition to playing a key role in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Mr. Burns also to Afghanistan to meet with Taliban leaders as the government fulfills Mr. Biden to withdraw troops from the country and end America’s longest war.