Jack Devine, former director of operations at the Central Intelligence Agency calls the current dispute between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and President Trump a “firestorm.” The 32-year CIA veteran says law enforcement institutions can withstand the pressure, and that it will eventually pass.
The professionals in the CIA and the FBI do not engage in politics in official business. Allowing any sort of partisan debate is considered unprofessional in the business, and his experience with various agencies including the FBI, is that they operate free of bias and political agendas. The FBI Director’s 10-year term of office was designed to keep it free from partisan wrangling.
He expects the FBI as an institution will weather the storm, eventually being vindicated. He also believe the agencies should operate with a great degree of independence in their pursuit of any and all facts.
Devine served as both Acting Director and Associate Director of CIA’s operations. He is the author of Good Hunting: An American Spymaster’s Story. He headed the Counter-Narcotics division, helping to bring down Pablo Escobar. Devine also served as head of the CIA’s Afghan Task Force (discussed in the film Charlie Wilson’s War), providing the Mujahideen with the Stinger anti-aircraft missile in their fight against the Russians in the 1980s, The Stinger was a game changer, eventually leading the Russians to depar Afghanistan.
Some of his favorite books are referenced here; conversation transcript is here.
You can stream/download the full conversation, including the podcast extras, on Bloomberg, iTunes, Overcast, and Soundcloud. Our earlier podcasts can all be found on iTunes, Soundcloud, Overcast and Bloomberg.
Next week, we speak Kathryn Minshew, CEO and co-founder of The Muse, She was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 in Media list, and the Inc. list of 15 Women to Watch in Tech.
