Gina Haspel, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), had threatened to resign because President Trump was going to appoint Kash Patel, who is a big supporter of President Trump, as deputy director of the CIA. And it was Pence’s operation that ultimately aborted the appointment.
U.S. media Capitol Hill relayed U.S. media Axios reported yesterday, January 16, three senior Trump administration officials familiar with the plan claimed that the paperwork for Patel’s formal appointment was completed in early December last year.
The plan comes as speculation rises about whether Haspel will be fired, a situation further fueled by her absence from the president’s daily intelligence briefings.
Axios reports that the idea of appointing Patel as CIA deputy director came as a result of Trump’s growing distrust of Haspel over the past year. Trump believes that if he expels current CIA Deputy Director Vaughn Bishop and replaces him with Patel, Haspel will resign, so Patel will become the acting director of the CIA.
Haspel attended such a briefing on Dec. 11, and her performance at that briefing reportedly caused Trump to change his mind. By then, word had circulated that Haspel had become aware of the possible appointment, according to Axios, so she threatened to resign.
Sources familiar with the turnover in deputy director personnel, said at a Dec. 11 presidential intelligence briefing that some senior White House aides, who encouraged Trump not to appoint Patel’s, tried to re-instill Trump’s confidence in Haspel. Trump was asking a small group of his top aides what they thought of Haspel. Vice President Mike Pence went all out to defend Haspel, calling the CIA director a patriot, praising her job performance and trying to reassure Trump that Haspel would support Trump. Pat Cipollone (D-N.Y.) also repeatedly defended Haspel.
Later, Trump suddenly changed course and decided to cancel Patel’s planned appointment.
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