Trump's new pick for CIA director would be the first woman to lead the spy agency

Speed Reads

breaking the glass CIA-ling

Trump's new pick for CIA director would be the first woman to lead the spy agency

March 13, 2018

.polaris__post-meta--date { display: none; } .polaris__post-meta--date.no-script { display: block; padding-left: 45px } March 13, 2018

Getty Images

America's 70-year-old spy agency is on the cusp of a historic first.

President Trump is nominating CIA Deputy Director Gina Haspel to replace Mike Pompeo as director of the CIA, with Trump tapping Pompeo to take fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's post.

If confirmed, Haspel would be the CIA's first-ever female director, a fact that Trump touted in both his announcement tweet and an official joint statement from Trump, Pompeo, and Haspel.

Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 13, 2018

"I am grateful to President Trump for the opportunity, and humbled by his confidence in me, to be nominated to be the next director of the Central Intelligence Agency," said Haspel in the statement. "If confirmed, I look forward to providing President Trump the outstanding intelligence support he has grown to expect during his first year in office."