Former CIA director splits with Trump transition team
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Former CIA director James Woolsey is no longer a senior adviser to Donald Trump and his transition team.
On Thursday, Woolsey's spokesman said his resignation is "effective immediately," adding that the ex-CIA chief wishes Trump and his administration "great success in their time in office." Philip Rucker of The Washington Post reports that people close to Woolsey said he left because he was growing uneasy after being cut out of intelligence talks with Trump and his national security adviser, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn.
In recent days, Woolsey has taken stances that appear to go against Trump — on Wednesday, after Trump tweeted about WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's claim that Russia did not supply him with hacked DNC documents, Woolsey called Assange a "ne'er-do-well" and said there is no point in listening to him. On Tuesday, he said Trump could be "playing us" regarding what he knows about the hacking.
Article continues belowThe Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
