Report: CIA Deputy Director Temporarily Takes Over as General Counsel

Published OCT 7

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Above: The agency seal on the floor of the lobby at the CIA, in Mclean, Va., on Sept. 24, 2022. Image copyright: Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post/Getty Images

The Spin

Democratic narrative

Michael Ellis epitomizes the politicization of intelligence. Accused of leaking sensitive information in 2017 and hiding the 2019 Zelenskyy call summary on a top-secret server, Ellis has now gone even further by anointing himself legal counsel. This self-advising structure clearly risks biased legal judgments, eroding CIA integrity. If Trump's CIA wishes to be taken seriously, a swift Senate confirmation of Joshua Simmons is required.

MSNBC

Republican narrative

It's ironic that left-wing media, which supported the weaponization of every major intelligence agency against Trump, are crying foul over this. After years of FBI and CIA directors using their power to persecute Republicans, the Trump administration is seeking justice and using the agencies to hold real criminals accountable. A brief interim period ahead of Senate confirmation is nothing compared to what the Biden CIA did.

American Thinker

Cynical narrative

The CIA, under any party, almost always evades accountability through its "neither confirm nor deny" response, dodging FOIA requests about crimes despite public evidence. Stories like this one about Ellis are irrelevant political finger-pointing, as trusted newspapers like The New York Times rarely expose the CIA's real abuses, largely because CIA agents are often embedded in these papers. Whether an agency lawyer exists or not, the CIA's crimes remain hidden, undermining democracy.

Jonathan Cook American Civil Liberties Union

Editor's Note

This story currently has limited reporting from right-wing sources. We will continue to monitor all major outlets and update our coverage as additional perspectives become available.