David Cohen: Biden calls on former CIA deputy director to return to office

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Cohen was CIA No. 2 from 2015 to 2017 in the Obama administration. The position does not require confirmation from the Senate.

Earlier this week, Biden asked veteran U.S. diplomat William Burns to be the agency’s director. Since Burns is said to be the first executive in CIA history whose experience comes from the State Department, Cohen, as Burns’ deputy, has the most formal intelligence experience.

During his first stint as Deputy Director of the CIA, Cohen helped oversee the intelligence agency’s strategic modernization and led the collection of foreign intelligence. He ended his term in 2017 by receiving the Distinguished Intelligence Medal, the CIA’s highest honor.

Prior to joining the CIA, Cohen worked in the Treasury Department as Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, where he was instrumental in the fight against illicit financing and the development of economic sanctions against governments. foreigners, notably Russia, Iran and North Korea.

His office also drew up the Obama administration’s master plan for targeting Daesh and other financial terrorist organizations, earning him the nickname “Financial Batman” in the Obama White House.

In forming his administration, Biden called on many former Obama-era public servants with whom he worked closely or who have years of experience in government.

Cohen is currently a partner at the private law firm WilmerHale in Washington, DC, where he practiced law before joining the Obama administration.

In 2019, Cohen made a surprise cameo appearance as an anonymous resident of Winterfell in HBO’s “Game of Thrones”.

This story has been updated with additional background information.

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