William Burns confirmed as CIA director

William Burns.
(Image credit: Tom Williams/AFP via Getty Images)

The Senate confirmed William Burns on Thursday as the next CIA director.

The longtime diplomat, who spent three decades in the Foreign Service, was confirmed by unanimous consent. Burns is known for his extensive knowledge of Russia, and will be the first CIA leader whose experience comes from the State Department. During his confirmation hearing in February, Burns said President Biden wants intelligence depoliticized and "the agency to give it to him straight — and I pledged to do just that, and to defend those who do the same."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

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.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.