CIA veterans make case for first black director as Biden weighs decision

His appointment would make him the first black person to hold the position, but the 56-year-old faces stiff competition from a number of high-profile names.

Numerous former officers said Blocker’s long career in the agency meant he already had the support and confidence of agents who wanted a leader with operational experience rather than a political appointment.

“Having someone who has come up through the ranks, who’s got there through ability, as Darrell has, that’s going to be a big deal,” said one officer who served under Blocker in the clandestine service.

Some Democrats have reportedly expressed concern about other names in the frame, such as Michael Morell, 62, a former acting director of the agency who defended so-called “enhanced interrogation” after the 9/11 attacks.

For now, the favorite is David Cohen, 57, a former deputy CIA director who spent most of his career on sanctions and financial intelligence at the Treasury Department. But his resume lacks the “human intelligence” expertise that insiders say they want.

“At that level, you need a good administrator,” said another former officer. “But I’d rather have someone who has a connection to ‘HUMINT’ or that kind of history because that’s what we deal in.”

The new director will be replacing Gina Haspel, the first woman to hold the post, who is expected to resign on Inauguration Day — if Trump does not fire her first.

Numerous former officers spoke to the Washington Examiner to say that Blocker’s long history inside the agency made him best placed to understand its needs and address sagging morale.

After four years as an Air Force analyst, he spent 28 years in the clandestine service, time that included leading the CIA’s training facility, known as The Farm, as well as multiple tours as chief of station and time as head of the Africa Division.

Last year, he lifted the lid on one portion of his undercover work: performing with the Kampala Jazz All-Stars band while working in Uganda.

He told ABC News he joined when he arrived in 2003, making use of singing skills he’d honed in the church choir while growing up in Georgia.

“My clandestine activities were enhanced by being viewed as a singer because who would ever think that one could be both?” Blocker said. “That is a leap too far for most, and I honestly feel that it kept me safer by being in plain sight.”

He retired in 2018 at a rank equivalent to a three-star general and was awarded the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal.

He is now chief operating officer for multinational security firm MOSAIC.

His name seeped into the public domain as a contender for CIA director a week ago, sparking excitement among officers who served alongside him.

Many spoke of his qualities as a mentor and a leader who understood how to value and develop staff. And they said those talents would be in demand after four years of Trump.

Biden’s new team will be tasked with rebuilding morale and trust throughout an intelligence community bruised by a president who rejected its findings, criticized its leaders, and appointed loyalists to replace senior officials who disagreed with him.

“That challenge of doing high-caliber work with a lot of detractors out there is difficult,” said Angela Lewis, a former counterterrorism targeting officer with the agency, who added she had been inundated with positive messages since posting her support for Blocker on social media. “I think he understands it from both a conceptual level as a leader but also on a personal level having experienced it.”

The result is a swell of grassroots support among serving officers.

Kevin Carroll, a former CIA officer and senior counselor to the secretary of homeland security, said: “The Directorate of Operations’ Africa Division has a strong tradition of good leadership, and Blocker is known as a famously good boss. His selection as CIA director would be a shot in the arm for the whole agency.”