'Sacrificed': CIA dumped 'best officer of his generation' over 'nightmare' Trump warning

A stunning turn of events at the CIA unfolded after a top official’s appointment to the London station — long considered the agency’s most prestigious overseas posting — was abruptly canceled. Now, the official has announced his retirement, the New York Times reported Monday.

Tom Sylvester, the agency’s long-serving deputy director for operations, was poised to become the top CIA liaison in the United Kingdom when the agency’s leadership reversed the decision following the publication of excerpts in Tim Weiner’s new book, The Mission. Although Sylvester’s remarks — ranging from intelligence sharing with Ukraine in 2014 to strengthening European alliances — were uncontroversial, their inclusion in the book sparked controversy, per the report.

In The Mission, Weiner interwove Sylvester’s quotes with his own editorial critique of recent U.S. intelligence leadership.

“With [John] Ratcliffe in charge at the CIA, the MAGA warrior Kash Patel running the FBI, the conspiracy theorist Tulsi Gabbard overseeing national intelligence and the Christian nationalist Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon, Trump has created the makings of a national security nightmare," the excerpt reportedly said.

But Weiner pushed back on applying Sylvester’s statements to politics.

“The CIA is not shooting itself in the foot; it’s shooting itself in the head,” he told the Times.

“Ratcliffe is a political ideologue, and ideology is the enemy of intelligence. He has just keelhauled one of the best CIA officers of his generation. Tom Sylvester helped Ukraine survive after Russia invaded, among other achievements. That seems to be one reason why he’s been sacrificed.”

Despite speculation, current intelligence officials insist Sylvester committed no misconduct and was not deemed disloyal. They say the book excerpt was not the true reason he was passed over for London. Although Ratcliffe had previously appointed Sylvester as acting CIA director pending his confirmation, senior insiders saw him as capable but not ideal for this next post.

The London chief of station role typically goes to the CIA’s most veteran operatives — former Director Gina Haspel held the position twice. However, Ratcliffe reportedly prefers a younger officer more aligned with the agency’s new, more aggressive approach to espionage and recruiting clandestine human sources.

The report further claimed that Sylvester had planned to step down earlier this year and expected one final overseas assignment before retirement. That move stalled after the Trump administration blocked his successor Ralph Goff’s appointment, following news coverage highlighting Goff’s Ukraine expertise.

The reason remains unclear, but the report said, citing sources, that it was unrelated to the war and surfaced amid sensitive negotiations with Russia.