Michael Morell

Michael Joseph Morell (/məˈrɛl/; born September 4, 1958) is an American former career intelligence analyst. He served as the deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 2010 to 2013 and twice as its acting director, first in 2011 and then from 2012 to 2013.[2][3] Previously as a CIA analyst he served as presidential daily briefer to George W. Bush, including on the morning of September 11, 2001. In his book, The Great Wars of Our Time, Morell defends the CIA's use of torture and drone warfare against suspected terrorists.[4][5] He is now Senior Counselor and the Global Chairman of the Geo-Political Risk Practice at Beacon Global Strategies LLC, a consulting firm in Washington, D.C.[6]

Michael Morell
Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
Acting
In office November 9, 2012 – March 8, 2013
President	Barack Obama
Preceded by	David Petraeus
Succeeded by	John O. Brennan
In office July 1, 2011 – September 6, 2011
President	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Leon Panetta
Succeeded by	David Petraeus
3rd Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
In office May 6, 2010 – August 9, 2013
President	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Stephen Kappes
Succeeded by	Avril Haines
Personal details
Born	Michael Joseph Morell September 4, 1958 Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, U.S.
Political party	Independent[1]
Spouse(s)	Mary Beth Manion
Children	3
Education	University of Akron (BA) Georgetown University (MA)

Early life and education

The son of an autoworker and homemaker,[7] Morell is a native of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.[8] He went to Saint Joseph's School and Cuyahoga Falls High School there. He is a first generation college student. He has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Akron and a Master of Arts from Georgetown University, both in economics.[9] He joined the Central Intelligence Agency in 1980 and served there for 33 years.[7]

Career

Most of Morell's early work in the Agency was devoted to energy and to East Asian projects.[9] During his mid-career, Morell managed the staff that produced the President's Daily Brief, and he served as the Executive Assistant to DCI George Tenet. Morell was President George W. Bush's daily intelligence briefer during 2001, including on September 11. Morell spent the entire day with the President. When asked by Bush who was responsible for the attacks that day, Morell said "… I have no doubt that the trail will lead to the doorstep of Bin Laden and al-Qa’ida."[3][9][10][11]

Morell (far left) watching 9/11 unfold from the Emma Booker Elementary School with President Bush.

Morell also served as Director for Intelligence, the Agency's top analyst, from 2008 to 2010. He served as the CIA's Associate Deputy Director, the Agency's top administrator, from 2006 to 2008.[7]

Morell, Leon Panetta, Hillary Clinton and other members of Obama's national security team in May 2011

In May 2010, Morell was sworn in as the deputy director of the CIA, succeeding Stephen Kappes.[12] Morell was awarded the Distinguished Intelligence Medal, the Agency's second highest honor, for his role in the bin Laden operation.[3] President Obama, knowing that Morell was with Bush on 9/11, sent Morell to Dallas to brief Bush on the raid two weeks after bin Laden was killed.[3]

From July 1, 2011 to September 6, 2011, Morell served his first stint as acting director of the CIA, replacing Leon Panetta when he was confirmed as Secretary of Defense.[13] On November 9, 2012, Morell once again became acting director after the resignation of David Petraeus, following a sex scandal.[14] President Obama considered Morell as the permanent replacement to Petraeus but chose John Brennan instead; Brennan was confirmed by the U.S. Senate by 63 to 34 vote on March 5, 2013.[15][3] Morell announced his retirement from the CIA on June 12, 2013 and left the Agency in early September 2013.[16]

Post retirement

In November 2013, Morell joined Beacon Global Strategies as a Senior Counselor.[17] In 2018, Beacon named Morell as the head of its geo-political risk practice. In this role, Morell advises firms on global developments and what they mean for the companies.

In the wake of Edward Snowden's 2013 leak of documents on international espionage conducted by the National Security Agency, Morell was appointed as a member of President Obama's Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies. By the end of 2013, the group presented a report to the White House. Nearly all the Review Group's recommendations were accepted.

Criticizes whistleblower Edward Snowden

Morell has been a regular critic of Snowden for exposing massive National Security Agency surveillance,[18] charging the damage done by Snowden was profound and that he should come home to face a jury of his peers. Morell has noted that he, Morell, would be willing to live by the verdict of a jury as to whether Snowden was a patriot or a traitor.[19]

In January 2014, Morell joined CBS News as an on-air contributor on intelligence and national security.[20] In 2018, CBS began producing Morell's weekly podcast on national security, titled Intelligence Matters. In each episode, Morell speaks with current and former members of the intelligence community as well as policymakers about their careers and about national security issues.[21] Each episode is distributed as a podcast and an hour-long program on CBS News Radio.[22] Morell also contributes to the media in other ways, as a contributing columnist to the Washington Post and as an expert voice on Axios.[23][24]

Defends drone warfare and torture

In May 2015, Morell's book entitled The Great War of Our Time: The CIA's Fight Against Terrorism—From al Qa'ida to ISIS was released. A New York Times bestseller, the book traces his three-decade-long career at the CIA, with a focus on the Agency's counterterrorism missions both before and after the September 11 attacks. The book deals with the public controversies related to the country's post-9/11 counterterrorism activities.[25] In the book, Morell defends targeted killings by drones,[26][27] calling drone warfare the “single most effective [counterterrorism] tool in the last five years” and dismissing concerns over civilian deaths as “highly exaggerated.” In 2016, drone strike survivors in Pakistan and Yemen recounted how the bombings killed and maimed their friends and family members.[28]

Morell also criticized the Senate Intelligence Committee’s analysis of CIA torture,[25][29] challenging the veracity of the landmark 2014 Senate intelligence Committee Report on Torture, objecting to the use of the word "torture" to characterize mock drownings, sleep deprivation, starvation diets, and painful bodily contortions on at least 39 people out of at least 119 it imprisoned in secret black site prisons from 2002 to 2008. Some of those tortured experienced sexual assaults, in the form of “rectal rehydration” or “rectal feeding." One detainee faced a mock execution. Another, Gul Rahman, "froze to death in a CIA prison."[28]

“I don’t like calling it torture for one simple reason: to call it torture says my guys were torturers,” Morell told Vice in 2015. “I’m gonna defend my guys till my last breath.”

Critics

In his 2015 memoir, Morell defended torture as effective in protecting the American people from terrorist attacks. According to the Military Times, Senate intelligence committee staffers were so troubled by Morrell’s claims of torture's effectiveness that they issued a lengthy rebuttal in a special report. Referencing the CIA’s own documents, the report said Morrell’s accounts of the CIA "enhanced interrogation" program contained numerous errors and misrepresentation of established facts.[30]

In 2020, when President-Elect Biden was reportedly considering Morell for Director of the CIA, Senate Intelligence Committee member Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) publicly charged Morell with being a "torture apologist" and said nomination for a cabinet post would be a "nonstarter."[31] In an interview at the Michael Hayden Center, Morell said he was never formally considered for the post.[32]

Daniel Jones, the lead investigator for the Senate Intelligence Committee’s torture report, was also critical. Jones urged President-elect Joe Biden not to nominate Morell, who was acting CIA Director during the Senate investigation. Lewis said Morell had failed to seriously discipline two CIA officials who destroyed videotapes of CIA torture incidents.[33]

In a separate book written by a group of former CIA senior officials, Morell critiques the media's coverage of the Senate report.[34]

Apologized to Powell

Also, in his book, Morell apologized to former Secretary of State Colin Powell for the CIA's erroneous assessments of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs.[35] Morell noted that Powell had said repeatedly that no one from the Agency had ever apologized for sending him to speak to the United Nations with incorrect intelligence and that Morell thought it time that someone did so.

Endorsed Hillary Clinton for president

In an August 2016 op-ed for The New York Times, Morell endorsed Hillary Clinton for president. Stating that he was registered with neither the Democratic nor Republican parties and that he had always been silent about his political preferences, Morell stated that Donald Trump was "not only unqualified for the job, but he may well pose a threat to our national security."[36][1][37] Morell left his job as a CBS News analyst before making the endorsement (Morell rejoined CBS News after the election).[38] In a subsequent Q&A article with the NY Times, Morell responded to allegations that his current employer, Beacon Global Strategies, "was co-founded by former associates of Mrs. Clinton", by saying it was a non-partisan firm and that he had spoken out "entirely on [my] own, with no other consideration given any thought."[39]

Chelsea Manning controversy

In September 2017, Morell resigned from his senior fellowship at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs of Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government as a result of Chelsea Manning's appointment as a senior fellow there.[40] Morell noted that he was fine with Harvard inviting Manning to speak on campus but that he was not okay with her being given the honor of a senior fellowship at one of America's most prestigious institutions. After Morell and others objected, Harvard rescinded its offer to Manning.

China

In 2017, Morell was appointed to serve on National Defense Strategy Commission, a congressionally created body designed to give Congress an independent view of America's defense needs. The group's final report concluded that US defense capabilities were eroding relative to those of China and Russia.[41]

Briefing book

In early 2019, Morell, along with the also former Acting and Deputy Director of the CIA John McLaughlin, brought together a group of former CIA, NSA, and FBI officers to produce a briefing book on a dozen or so key national security issues facing the nation. Morell and McLaughlin provided the book to all candidates running for president, whether Democrat, Republican, or Independent, and included President Trump's reelection campaign. The two told the press that the aim of the book was to provide a basis of fact and analysis as campaigns developed their foreign policy positions and as they debated the issues. The book did not advocate particular policies.[42]

In April 2019, Washington Post columnist David Ignatius reported that Morell, who had been consulting for a U.S. firm that did work with Saudi Arabia, stepped down from that role following the killing of Saudi national, U.S. resident, and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Ignatius wrote that Morell withdrew "over concern about the direction that Saudi Arabia was heading."[43]

In 2019, the International Spy Museum unveiled a new interactive exhibit hosted by Morell. In the exhibit, Morell leads participants through a red-teaming exercise of the intelligence that pointed to Osama bin Laden hiding at a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The exhibit is one of the museum's most popular.[44]

In 2020, Morell was mentioned as a possible candidate for Director of the Central Intelligence Agency in the Biden Administration.[45] Ultimately, the post went to former United States Deputy Secretary of State and career diplomat Bill Burns.[46]

Views

Morell has written dozens of op-eds and given hundreds of media interviews since leaving government.[47][48][49] His writings and interviews suggest the world is a dangerous place and that to keep the country safe, the United States must take a leadership role in the world, it must have strong allies with whom it works together on tough issues, and it must have a strong military, intelligence service, and diplomatic service in order to deter adversaries.[50][51][52] Second, for the United States to be strong abroad, it must be strong at home.[53] Morell says that "the most important determinant of a country's national security is the health of its economy and society"[54] and that the thing that most keeps him up at night is the failure of our politicians to come together, to compromise, and to make decisions that move our economy and our society forward.[55]

On May 19, 2015, during his book tour, Morell stated on MSNBC that what Vice President Dick Cheney said publicly about Iraq's nuclear weapons program before the war in 2003 was inconsistent with the views of the intelligence community.[56][57] MSNBC host Chris Matthews said: " ... here on Hardball last night, the top CIA official, the man who briefed President Bush on a daily basis, said that what Cheney said was not true. ... I've been doing this business for a long time, rarely do you get that Perry Mason moment. When the guy comes and just says, You know what? I'm the top briefer from the CIA for the president. I'm deputy DCI. I'm right there telling them all we knew, and we never knew and never said he had a nuclear weapon. And yet we went into war with that argument."[58]

Morell interviewing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for CBS News' Intelligence Matters Podcast

In an interview with Charlie Rose in August 2016, Morell blamed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Russia, and Iran for the extremely high civilian death toll in Syria.[59] He called on the opposition in Syria to deter Russia and Iran by making them "pay a price" for their involvement in Syria, in part by targeting their military personnel in the country.[60] He also called on the United States to conduct limited, precision bombings of Syrian government targets in order to bring Assad to the negotiating table.[61] Regarding President Assad, Morell argued "I want to go after those things, such as his personal helicopter and aircraft, that Assad sees as his personal power base. I want to scare Assad."[60]

In October 2016, Morell told Rose that the United States should confront Iran's behavior in the Middle East, and he voiced support for the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen against Yemen's Houthis, pointing out that the Iranians were supporting the Houthis as a proxy force against the Saudis. Morell said "Ships leave Iran on a regular basis carrying arms to the Houthis in Yemen."[62] Morell also said that Iran wants "to be the hegemonic power in the region" and Arab states of the Persian Gulf are "pushing back against that".[63]

In December 2016, Morell suggested that the interference of Russia in the 2016 United States presidential election was "the political equivalent of 9/11".[64] He added that President Obama should retaliate imminently with harsh sanctions, in spite of president-elect Donald Trump's doubts about the allegations of Russian influence.[65] In March 2017, Morell said: "On the question of the Trump campaign conspiring with the Russians here, there is smoke, but there is no fire at all. There's no little campfire, there's no little candle, there's no spark. And there's a lot of people looking for it."[66]

In April 2019, Morell, along with Stanford professor Amy Zegart, wrote a piece in Foreign Affairs titled "Spies, Lies, and Algorithms: Why the Intelligence Community Must Adapt or Fail".[67] In the article, Morell and Zegart argue that the intelligence community is falling further behind in the technology race, a development that poses a significant risk to the country. The authors say that this lag has already caused a significant intelligence breakdown, the failure of the community to see in a timely manner Russia's weaponization of social media during the 2016 presidential election.

Advisory groups

Since retiring from CIA in 2013, Morell has served on a number of boards or advisory groups related to national security. He currently serves on the board of the Atlantic Council, a Washington, D.C. think tank on international affairs.[68] He serves on the advisory boards of the Alliance for Securing Democracy at the German-Marshall Fund, the American Media Abroad group, and the University of Chicago's Institute of Politics.[69][70][71] Morell also serves on the board of CyberDome.[72] He served on the Advisory Board of the Committee to Investigate Russia,[73] a group organized by Hollywood director Rob Reiner and The Atlantic senior editor David Frum.[74][75]

Teaching

Morrell leading a discussion at the Hayden Center

Also, since retiring from the Agency, Morell has spent time teaching and mentoring at a variety of colleges and universities. He is currently a distinguished visiting professor[76] at the Michael V. Hayden Center at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, where he teaches classes on intelligence and moderates on-the-record conversations[77] on intelligence, including a March 2019 event on Congress and the Intelligence Community, titled The Hill Has Eyes: Congressional Oversight of Intelligence. He was later named Distinguished Senior Fellow of the center during founder Michael Hayden's health leave.[78][79][80] Morell spent the fall quarter of 2016 teaching a seminar as a resident fellow at the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago.[81] Morell has also spent time at Stanford, Dartmouth, Harvard, West Point, and his alma mater, the University of Akron.[82][83][84][85][86]

Personal life

Morell is married to Mary Beth Morell (née Manion), and they have three children.[87][88][89][90][91]

References

1. Morell, Michael J. (August 5, 2016). "I Ran the C.I.A. Now I'm Endorsing Hillary Clinton". The New York Times. Retrieved August 5, 2016. I am neither a registered Democrat nor a registered Republican. In my 40 years of voting, I have pulled the lever for candidates of both parties.
2. Glasser, Susan B. (December 11, 2017). "Ex-Spy Chief: Russia's Election Hacking Was An 'Intelligence Failure'". Politico.com. Retrieved December 26, 2017. A veteran of nearly three decades in the CIA, Morell rose from within the ranks to become the agency's longtime deputy director, twice serving as its acting leader before retiring during President Barack Obama's second term.
3. Morell, Michael J.; Harlow, Bill. The great war of our time : the CIA's fight against terrorism--from al Qa'ida to ISIS (First ed.). New York. ISBN 9781455585663. OCLC 891126052.
4. Dilanian, Ken (August 8, 2017). "Senate staff disputes ex-CIA official's defense of torture". Military Times. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
5. "Former CIA leader defends drone strikes, torture". PBS NewsHour. May 4, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
6. "Beacon Global Strategies › Geopolitical Risk". bgsdc.com. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
7. Miller, Greg (April 15, 2010). "Key counterterrorism leader leaving No. 2 job at CIA; New deputy described as 30-year veteran with broad experience". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 26, 2018. From 2006 to 2008, [Morell] served as associate deputy director, the No. 3 position at the CIA, making him responsible for day-to-day operations.
8. Muravchik, Joshua (July/August 2015). "Inside the Battle". Review of Michael Morell, The Great War of Our Time: The CIA's Fight Against Terrorism—From al Qa'ida to ISIS. Commentary. p. 56 f. Retrieved via Book Review Index Plus database/InfoTrac, January 11, 2017. Preview online.
9. Dyer, Bob (August 17, 2006). "Here's the dossier on new No. 3 guy at the CIA: Cuyahoga Falls native, UA grad says spy agency wasn't part of original career plan". Akron Beacon Journal. Ohio.
10. "Profile: Michael J. Morell". Retrieved June 18, 2019.
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16. Peralta, Eyder (June 12, 2013). "Reports: CIA Deputy Director Michael Morell Retires". NPR. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
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18. Hirsh, Michael. "'It's All Back in Snowden's Lap'". POLITICO Magazine. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
19. Morell, Michael (January 15, 2017). "Putin's Perfect Gift". The Cipher Brief. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
20. Gold, Hadas (January 14, 2014). "Reports: Michael Morell Joins CBS News". Politico. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
21. "The Retired Spy Who Took On Trump's "Deep State" | Washingtonian (DC)". Washingtonian. February 4, 2019. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
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24. "Michael Morell on Axios". Axios. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
25. Miller, Greg (May 3, 2015). "Former CIA official cites agency’s failure to see al-Qaeda’s rebound". Washington Post. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
26. Dilanian, Ken (May 4, 2015). "Former CIA leader defends drone strikes, torture". PBS. Retrieved August 11, 2016.
27. Capaccio, Tony; Walcott, John (May 4, 2015). "CIA Official Refused Role in Powell’s Iraq Speech, Morell Writes". Bloomberg. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
28. Stein, Erin Banco,Hanna Trudo,Spencer Ackerman,Sam (November 24, 2020). "Biden Weighs Mike Morell as His CIA Chief. A Key Dem Senator Says Don't Bother". The Daily Beast. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
29. Tapper, Jake (May 12, 2015). "Former CIA official takes aim at politicians". CNN. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
30. Dilanian, Ken (August 8, 2017). "Senate staff disputes ex-CIA official's defense of torture". Military Times. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
31. Jeremy Herb, MJ Lee, Alex Marquardt and Zachary Cohen. "Democratic concerns over Morell and torture scramble Biden's CIA decision". CNN. Retrieved December 17, 2020.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
32. Altomare, Nicole (February 2, 2021). "The Assault on Intelligence: After Trump". Michael V. Hayden Center. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
33. Shuham, Matt (November 24, 2020). "Former Senate CIA Investigator Warns Biden Against Picks Tainted By Torture, 'Cover-Up'". Talking Points Memo. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
34. Harlow, Bill (2015). Rebuttal: The CIA Responds to the Senate Intelligence Committee's Study of Its Detention and Interrogation Program. ISBN 978-1591145875.
35. "Morell "wanted to apologize" to Powell about WMD evidence". CBS News. May 11, 2015.
36. Alvarez, Priscilla (August 5, 2016). "Why a Former CIA Chief Says Trump Is a 'Threat' to National Security; Michael Morell the latest in a string of ex-national-security officials to back Hillary Clinton as she embraces an image centered on defense". The Atlantic. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
37. Phillip, Abby (August 5, 2016). "In endorsing Clinton, ex-CIA chief says Putin made Trump his 'unwitting agent'". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
38. Gold, Hadas (August 5, 2016). "Michael Morell dropped CBS News analyst job to support Hillary Clinton". Politico. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
39. Morell, Michael J. (August 12, 2016). "Q. & A. With Michael Morell: Why I'm Endorsing Hillary Clinton". The New York Times. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
40. Becket, Stefan (September 14, 2017). "Ex-CIA chief Michael Morell resigns Harvard post over Chelsea Manning". CBS. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
41. Providing for the common defense : the assessment and recommendations of the National Defense Strategy Commission. National Defense Strategy Commission. OCLC 1066062102.
42. Harris, Shane (March 27, 2019). "Former CIA Leaders Give 'Briefing Book' to 2020 Candidates to Counteract 'Fake News' and 'Foreign Election Interference'". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
43. Group, Washington Post Writers. "David Ignatius: MBS needs to answer on Khashoggi". Omaha.com. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
44. McGlone, Peggy. "The new Spy Museum is bigger, bolder and more beautiful. Here are the 10 things you shouldn't miss" – via www.washingtonpost.com.
45. "Who Are Contenders for Biden's Cabinet?". The New York Times. November 11, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
46. Zeleny, Jeff (January 11, 2021). "Biden to nominate William Burns as CIA director, turning to a longtime diplomat to lead agency in post-Trump era". CNN. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
47. "Michael Morell". Washington Post. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
48. "Michael J. Morell". The Cipher Brief. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
49. "Articles by Michael Morell | The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal Journalist | Muck Rack". muckrack.com. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
50. "What's Wrong (and Right) with the CIA?". The Cipher Brief. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
51. "More Lone Wolf Attacks Inevitable". The Cipher Brief. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
52. Glasser, Susan B. "Ex-Spy Chief: Russia's Election Hacking Was An 'Intelligence Failure'". POLITICO Magazine. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
53. Morell, Michael (March 13, 2016). "The Link Between Economic and National Security". The Cipher Brief. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
54. Morell, Michael (June 23, 2017). "Our National Security Relies on a Healthy Economy". The Cipher Brief. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
55. Morell, Michael (February 8, 2018). "Social Security and Medicare Could Cripple National Security". The Cipher Brief. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
56. "Fmr. CIA Deputy Director grilled on Iraq War". MSNBC. May 19, 2016.
57. "'Hardball with Chris Matthews' for Tuesday, May 19th, 2015". NBC News. May 19, 2015.
58. "'Hardball with Chris Matthews' for Wednesday, May 20th, 2015". NBC News. May 20, 2016.
59. "The former deputy director of the CIA on politics and national security". Charlie Rose. August 17, 2016.
60. "Former CIA deputy director: I want to scare Bashar al-Assad". CBS News. August 8, 2016. Retrieved August 11, 2016. He went on to explain making them "pay the price" would mean killing Russians and Iranians, and said he wants to make Syrian president Bashar al-Assad uncomfortable.
61. Levitz, Eric (August 10, 2016). "Maybe Hillary Clinton Shouldn't Tout Endorsements From Neocons Who Support Torture and War With Iran". New York Magazine. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
62. "Clinton Adviser Proposes Attacking Iran to Aid the Saudis in Yemen". New York Magazine. October 26, 2016.
63. "At Hillary Clinton's Favorite Think Tank, a Doubling Down on Anti-Iran, Pro-Saudi Policy". The Intercept. October 26, 2016.
64. Bertrand, Natasha (December 12, 2016). "Former acting CIA Director Michael Morell: Russian meddling in US election 'is the political equivalent of 9/11'". Business Insider. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
65. Fox-Brewster, Thomas (December 13, 2016). "Ex-CIA Director: Obama Should Retaliate To Russian Election Hacks Now". Forbes. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
66. "Key Democratic Officials Now Warning Base Not to Expect Evidence of Trump/Russia Collusion". The Intercept. March 16, 2017.
67. Zegart, Amy; Morell, Michael (April 19, 2019). "Spies, Lies, and Algorithms". Foreign Affairs : America and the World (May/June 2019). ISSN 0015-7120. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
68. Council, Atlantic. "Board of Directors". Atlantic Council. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
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70. "Board of Advisors | America Abroad Media". www.americaabroadmedia.org. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
71. "Board of Advisors". politics.uchicago.edu. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
72. Mali, Meghashyam (August 15, 2019). "Ex-CIA chief worries campaigns falling short on cybersecurity". TheHill. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
73. "Committee to Investigate Russia: Advisory Board". Committee to Investigate Russia. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
74. Johnson, Ted (September 19, 2017). "Rob Reiner Helps Launch Committee to Investigate Russia". Variety. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
75. Cohen, Stephen F. (September 27, 2017). "Do Liberal Democrats Want War With Russia?". The Nation.
76. Hayden Center (September 19, 2019). "Hayden Center Official Twitter". Twitter.
77. Intelligence Matters Podcast (September 20, 2019). "Intelligence Matters Live Taping with Host Michael Morell". Apple Podcasts.
78. "Michael Morell, Fmr Acting Director and Deputy Director of CIA, Joins Hayden Center as Distinguished Senior Fellow | Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy, and International Security". haydencenter.gmu.edu. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
79. "Former CIA Acting Director Michael Morell Joins Schar School, Hayden Center for Intelligence | Schar School of Policy and Government". schar.gmu.edu. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
80. "Former Intelligence Committee Members Discuss Oversight in 'The Hill Has Eyes' | Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy, and International Security". haydencenter.gmu.edu. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
81. "Michael Morell". politics.uchicago.edu. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
82. "FSI - Inside the CIA: A Conversation with Michael Morell". fsi.stanford.edu. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
83. "U.S. Foreign Policy and International Security Post-doctoral Fellowship | The John Sloan Dickey Center". dickey.dartmouth.edu. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
84. "Retiring CIA Official Michael Morell Joins Belfer Center as Senior Fellow". Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
85. "Mr. Michael Morell joins CTC as Senior Fellow". Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. August 18, 2015.
86. "Respected national security leaders will speak March 7 : UA News". www.UAkron.edu. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
87. "Acting Director of the Central Intelligence Agency: Who Is Michael Morell?". allgov.com. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
88. "Michael J. Morell - Akron Roundtable". www.akronroundtable.org. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
89. "Off-the-Record with Michael Morell, Acting CIA Director (ret.) - PSA". psaonline.org. February 9, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
90. "TRIBUTE TO MICHAEL J. MORELL". Congressional Record. 159 (100): S5684–S5686. July 15, 2013 – via Federation of American Scientists. We also thank Michael's wife Mary Beth and his children, Sarah, Luke, and Peter, for their support and understanding, as well as their sacrifices in allowing Michael to selflessly commit himself to protecting our Nation against those who would do us harm.
91. "Intelligence Matters: A CBS News original national security podcast". www.CBSNews.com. Retrieved May 2, 2019.

External links

• Profile at the CIA
• Twitter Page on Twitter
• Who is Michael Morell?