In his statement, Morell said he knows how that sounds but, "when I say that it is time for my family, nothing could be more real than that."
It's difficult not to be immediately skeptical at this retirement considering the timing and circumstances surrounding the announcement. His kids are college-aged and this is quite an unusual time to resign. The fact that he is being replaced with White House lawyer Avril D. Haines (Obama's deputy council in charge of national security), seems to indicate that this is either in light of the Benghazi 'scandal' or that the Obama administration is purging intelligence officials who may not be entirely loyal in the wake of the NSA leaks. There is without a doubt far more to this story.
Morell was passed over for promotion after the Petraeus debacle. He might have just come to the realization there are no more ladders to climb in government, it's time to sell your rolodex & skills to the highest bidder in the private sector.
Also a very plausible scenario. For someone with no opportunities for promotion this is probably a great time to exit any of the intelligence agencies, it's going to be a long hot summer.
Actually the government has a long history of releasing news they don't want covered on really hot days (especially before air conditioning), so that way the press is less likely to show up. That's how we got school desegregation.
"purging intelligence officials who may not be entirely loyal in the wake of the NSA leaks"
I doubt its NSA related. It looks like it is Benghazi -related since the White House says he is the one at the CIA who wanted the "talking points" changed to the State Departments version. Technically, Morell is going to be on the intelligence board, so he is not totally leaving.
It's actually a common time to resign, when someone with college-tuition-age kids wants to increase salary by $100K or more, which is easy when jumping from a high post in government to a well-connected (or wannabe well-connected) contractor or lobbyisy firm.
Maybe he is sick? Maybe his marriage was at risk from the hours he puts in?
People have real life issues, too. CIA or not. I've met Morell and he is a company man to the core, a real solid good guy. Not one to be tied up in or concern himself with scandal.
The timing makes a lot of sense. With all the shit hitting the fan over the past few days he probably is now flooded with paperwork and hearings and sorts of madness.
Maybe it made him reevaluate his priorities and look for an easier job.
As a CIA director I bet he was in a position to influence the outsourcing of duties to private companies. It would not surprise me if he at one time chose BAH for some particular project and now it is time to cash out!
Also interesting in this is that he's being replaced by Avril Haines. This is interesting to me for several reasons.
- Avril Haines is the first woman to be appointed to the Deputy Director position or higher within the CIA.
- She's from the White House council's office, and is a lawyer, with no apparent prior experience in the intelligence community. Michael Morrell, by contrast, had worked in the CIA for 33 years. Why appoint a lawyer with intelligence community experience to the second highest role in the CIA? Perhaps because she'll be loyal to the White House?
Not just the counsel's office, she worked for Brennan at the White House, i.e., the legal side of counterterrorism. Morrell was indeed an old hand, and was elevated to the #2 spot to assist Panetta when he was appointed. In contrast, Brennan himself began his career at the CIA, so he already knows the place pretty well.
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[ 4.9 ms ] story [ 52.2 ms ] threadIt's difficult not to be immediately skeptical at this retirement considering the timing and circumstances surrounding the announcement. His kids are college-aged and this is quite an unusual time to resign. The fact that he is being replaced with White House lawyer Avril D. Haines (Obama's deputy council in charge of national security), seems to indicate that this is either in light of the Benghazi 'scandal' or that the Obama administration is purging intelligence officials who may not be entirely loyal in the wake of the NSA leaks. There is without a doubt far more to this story.
I doubt its NSA related. It looks like it is Benghazi -related since the White House says he is the one at the CIA who wanted the "talking points" changed to the State Departments version. Technically, Morell is going to be on the intelligence board, so he is not totally leaving.
People have real life issues, too. CIA or not. I've met Morell and he is a company man to the core, a real solid good guy. Not one to be tied up in or concern himself with scandal.
Maybe it made him reevaluate his priorities and look for an easier job.
As a CIA director I bet he was in a position to influence the outsourcing of duties to private companies. It would not surprise me if he at one time chose BAH for some particular project and now it is time to cash out!
Sorry, I am very cynical
- Avril Haines is the first woman to be appointed to the Deputy Director position or higher within the CIA.
- She's from the White House council's office, and is a lawyer, with no apparent prior experience in the intelligence community. Michael Morrell, by contrast, had worked in the CIA for 33 years. Why appoint a lawyer with intelligence community experience to the second highest role in the CIA? Perhaps because she'll be loyal to the White House?