President Donald Trump is considering a billionaire investor Steve Feinberg for a "senior role" at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Axios reported Saturday, citing "four sources familiar with the planning."
"Why it matters: Feinberg would enter the ODNI at an especially fraught time — during a pandemic, an election year, and during a period where Trump has a deeply frayed relationship with his intelligence community," Axios explained.
"Feinberg, a staunch ally of the president's who funded a pro-Trump super-PAC in 2016, currently chairs the President's Intelligence Advisory Board. In that position, he has been allowed to maintain his extensive financial interests and his role as CEO of Cerberus Capital Management," Axios noted.
"As with any Trump appointment — and especially one with somebody who has such diverse financial interests — Feinberg's appointment should not be considered a sure thing until he is officially installed in the role," Axios cautioned. "But discussions and planning have been extensive and have involved Jared Kushner, National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien and White House Counsel Pat Cipollone, according to an administration official familiar with the discussions."
The report came one day after Trump fired Michael Atkinson, who was the Inspector General for the intelligence community who alerted Congress to Trump's interactions with Ukraine that resulted in his impeachment.
