Former ambassador to Russia and Jordan led outreach to Iran over its nuclear efforts in 2013 and has been highly critical of Trump
Joe Biden announced on Monday he has chosen veteran diplomat William Burns to be CIA director.
A former ambassador to Russia and Jordan who led outreach to Iran over its nuclear efforts in 2013, Burns, 64, had a 33-year career at the state department under Republican and Democratic presidents. He rose to become deputy secretary of state before retiring in 2014 to run the Carnegie Endowment of International Peace.
Amid tumult at state after Donald Trump took office in 2017, Burns held his tongue until last year when he began writing highly critical pieces of Trump policies in Foreign Affairs and other publications. Burns has been a staunch advocate of rebuilding and restructuring the foreign service.
“Bill Burns is an exemplary diplomat with decades of experience on the world stage keeping our people and our country safe and secure,” the president-elect said in a statement.
“He shares my profound belief that intelligence must be apolitical and that the dedicated intelligence professionals serving our nation deserve our gratitude and respect. Ambassador Burns will bring the knowledge, judgment, and perspective we need to prevent and confront threats before they can reach our shores. The American people will sleep soundly with him as our next CIA director.”
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