[Daily Beast] President-elect Joe Biden is strongly considering Mike Morell, the former acting director of the Central Intelligence Agency, to run the CIA, according to four individuals familiar with the matter. But those familiar with the process say that other candidates are still in the mix for the position of the nation’s top spy chief.Morell served as deputy CIA director for three years under President Barack Obama and also worked as acting director of the agency twice. According to three of the four sources familiar with the matter, the president-elect was considering both Morell and Avril Haines, another former deputy CIA director, for the position. But in an announcement Monday afternoon, Biden picked Haines, the former deputy director for the CIA and deputy national security adviser under Obama, to become director of national intelligence.
Two of the aforementioned sources said that Biden is also considering Tom Donilon for the post. Donilon served as Obama’s national security adviser and has deep roots in Bidenworld. His brother, Mike Donilon, has already been tapped as a White House senior adviser for the president-elect.
Another name said to be in the mix is Jeh Johnson, the former director of the Department of Homeland Security. But others told The Daily Beast Johnson was under consideration for the role of Attorney General. As one source said of the current staffing considerations: "Too many people, too few chairs."
Biden’s presidential transition team declined to comment.