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Christopher Miller, who said just two days earlier that he was anxious to quit his job, ordered the NSA chief to install Michael Ellis as general counsel by 6 p.m. Saturday, but the NSA director, General Paul Nakasone did not act by the deadline, leaving it uncertain what Miller or the White House would do.
Ellis was first selected for the post in early November, just two days after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the presidential election and amid a political purge from various agencies, including the Defense Department.
The Pentagon declined to comment. This story was first reported by the Washington Post.
But Ellis’ installation stalled, according to the Washington Post, due to administrative procedures, including the need for a polygraph test, leaving Miller to lobby in the final days of Trump’s four-year tenure.
Days after Ellis was selected for the job in November, shortly after President Donald Trump sacked then Secretary of Defense Mark Esper via Twitter, Democratic Reps Mark Warner and Jack Reed asked an investigation to the acting Pentagon Inspector General. a letter, “The combination of timing, the candidate’s comparative inexperience, the reported qualifications of other finalists, and press accounts of White House involvement create a perception that political influence or considerations can to have played an undue role in a merit selection process for the public service. “
Prior to joining the Trump administration, Ellis served as chief counsel for California Representative Devin Nunes, one of Trump’s strongest supporters. Ellis then became a lawyer on the National Security Council, refusing to testify in connection with the House impeachment inquiry in 2019. In March 2020, Ellis became the senior director of intelligence on the NSC, joining other loyalists from Trump to key intelligence positions.
But the attempt to transfer Ellis to the NSA is different, as the attorney general for the country’s largest intelligence agency is a civil servant position, not a politician. This makes Ellis more difficult to fire once the Biden administration enters, the sources said, adding that the strategy is called “digging burrows.”
Ellis said, “I don’t speak to the press, thank you” and hung up when the Washington Post contacted him. CNN was unable to reach Ellis.
Susan Hennessey, former NSA lawyer and CNN legal and national security analyst, has torn apart the decision to install Ellis in the Trump administration’s last weekend in power.
“At this point, no one should extend this selection process for the benefit of the doubt. Obviously, Administrator Trump is breaking public service rules and politicizing an apolitical role. If Ellis is installed tonight, Biden should remove him. first day, ”
she wrote on twitter.
The NSA attorney general is not a Senate confirmed post, Hennessey explained on his Lawfare blog in November, which removes a congressional oversight step that exists for roles such as the attorney general of the CIA, Pentagon, or Director of National Intelligence’s office. The purpose of this process was to eliminate any political bias in nominating a candidate for one of the key roles of the NSA.
“This is really tough, really important work and we have a process to make sure that only qualified people fill the role * BECAUSE * it is necessary for the national security of the United States,”
Hennessey wrote on Twitter on Saturday.
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