The former CIA deputy director under the Obama administration has emerged as President-elect Joe Biden’s top choice to lead the agency.
The New York Times confirmed David Cohen, 57, is at the forefront of being Biden’s pick. No announcement is expected until at least next week. Biden’s choice will rely partly on the mix of people he wants to lead the Pentagon and other agencies, including the Department of Justice and Department of Defense, which have not yet been appointed nominees.
Top aides for Biden said the former vice president was fond of Cohen. Avril Haines, the nominee to serve as director of national intelligence, was also reportedly supportive of the potential choice. Cohen and Haines worked closely together on national security issues during the Obama administration.
Cohen became a leading contender after Tom Donilon, President Barack Obama’s former national security adviser, withdrew from consideration, and Michael Morell, former acting director of the CIA, came under fire by Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden, who pointed to Morell’s defense of the CIA’s interrogation program during the Bush administration, which included torture of terrorism suspects.
While at the CIA, Cohen helped set up a joint operation between the FBI and the National Security Agency that looked into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Cohen is currently a partner at the WilmerHale law firm and is a former top Treasury official who oversaw financial sanctions against Russia, Iran, and terrorist organizations.
