Michael Morell

Michael Morell
Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
Acting
In office
November 9, 2012 – March 8, 2013
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byDavid Petraeus
Succeeded byJohn O. Brennan
In office
July 1, 2011 – September 6, 2011
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byLeon Panetta
Succeeded byDavid Petraeus
3rd Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
In office
May 6, 2010 – August 9, 2013
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byStephen Kappes
Succeeded byAvril Haines
Personal details
Born
Michael Joseph Morell

(1958-09-04) September 4, 1958 (age 66)
Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, U.S.
Political partyIndependent[1]
SpouseMary Beth Manion
Children3
EducationUniversity of Akron (BA)
Georgetown University (MA)

Michael Joseph Morell (/məˈrɛl/; born September 4, 1958) is an American former career intelligence analyst. He served as the deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 2010 to 2013 and twice as its acting director, first in 2011 and then from 2012 to 2013.[2][3] He also serves as a professor at the George Mason University - Schar School of Policy and Government.

As a CIA analyst he served as presidential daily briefer to George W. Bush, including on the morning of September 11, 2001. In his book, The Great War of Our Time, Morell defends the use of drones by both the Bush and Obama administrations against suspected terrorists and he explains the CIA's use of enhanced interrogation techniques (what many call torture) by the Bush administration.[4][5] He is now senior counselor and the global chairman of the Geo-Political Risk Practice at Beacon Global Strategies LLC, a consulting firm in Washington, D.C.[6]

  1. ^ Morell, Michael J. (August 5, 2016). "I Ran the C.I.A. Now I'm Endorsing Hillary Clinton". The New York Times. Retrieved August 5, 2016. I am neither a registered Democrat nor a registered Republican. In my 40 years of voting, I have pulled the lever for candidates of both parties.
  2. ^ Glasser, Susan B. (December 11, 2017). "Ex-Spy Chief: Russia's Election Hacking Was An 'Intelligence Failure'". Politico.com. Retrieved December 26, 2017. A veteran of nearly three decades in the CIA, Morell rose from within the ranks to become the agency's longtime deputy director, twice serving as its acting leader before retiring during President Barack Obama's second term.
  3. ^ Morell, Michael J.; Harlow, Bill (May 12, 2015). The great war of our time: the CIA's fight against terrorism—from al Qa'ida to ISIS (First ed.). New York. ISBN 9781455585663. OCLC 891126052.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ Dilanian, Ken (August 8, 2017). "Senate staff disputes ex-CIA official's defense of torture". Military Times. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  5. ^ "Former CIA leader defends drone strikes, torture". PBS NewsHour. May 4, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  6. ^ "Beacon Global Strategies › Geopolitical Risk". bgsdc.com. Retrieved April 30, 2019.