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View Full Version : Aide Ousted From White House Re-emerges at Justice Dept




Swordsmyth
04-11-2018, 05:16 PM
A former American intelligence official who came under intense scrutiny during a stint at the White House last year is returning to government as the national security adviser to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, according to a person familiar with the decision.The official, Ezra Cohen-Watnick, will play an important role at the Justice Department, advising Mr. Sessions on counterintelligence and counterterrorism.
Mr. Cohen-Watnick is known to be hawkish on Russia and China, believing the intelligence community needs to take a more aggressive approach in countering their activities. Both countries conduct wide-ranging espionage in the United States that targets commercial and government secrets. Mr. Sessions is broadly viewed in the Justice Department as lacking expertise in the area.
The Justice Department declined to comment.
Mr. Cohen-Watnick, 31, served briefly at the start of the Trump administration as the senior director for intelligence for the National Security Council, overseeing covert action and other intelligence programs. He was brought on by Michael T. Flynn, President Trump (https://www.nytimes.com/topic/person/donald-trump)’s first national security adviser. But some former officials criticized Mr. Cohen-Watnick, a former clandestine officer in the Defense Intelligence Agency, as too young for the job, which is usually filled by C.I.A. veterans.

Mr. Cohen-Watnick was ousted in August 2017 (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/02/us/politics/white-house-michael-flynn-allies-national-security-council.html) as part of changes in the White House, one of several appointees of Mr. Flynn who were removed by his replacement, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster.

More at: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/11/us/politics/ezra-cohen-watnick-justice-department-national-security-adviser.html