Joe Biden Chooses Familiar Faces for Top FEMA, CIA Roles
President-elect Joe Biden announced his nominations for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), bringing back familiar faces.
Joe Biden nominated New York emergency department commissioner Deanne Criswell as the FEMA administrator and former CIA deputy director David Cohen to come back for the same role.
Joe Biden's FEMA and CIA picks come with more nominations confirmed by his team to The Associated Press. And it appears the incoming administration is putting a premium on experienced public servants.
The president-elect continues to fill out top positions in federal agencies as the inauguration on Jan. 20 gets near.
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Joe Biden also picked former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner David Kessler to lead the COVID-19 vaccine drive.
He has been advising Joe Biden through his roles as co-chair of the advisory board on the pandemic. On Thursday, Biden called the Trump administration's vaccine rollout a "dismal failure."
Criswell, Cohen Worked at FEMA, CIA During Obama Administration
Criswell worked in top positions at FEMA before, during the Obama administration, and has done it for more than five years.
"The American people deserve leaders like Deanne Criswell," said New York Mayor Bill de Blasio in a statement obtained by New York Post. He called Criswell a "fearless, expert and deeply respected voice" in the current administration.
She also served as the federal coordinating officer of one of the agency's National Incident Management Assistance Teams. In New York, her job recently revolved around leading the city's emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Her primary responsibility under the new role is to coordinate major disaster responses that need federal's attention. If confirmed, she will become the first woman to head FEMA.
On the other hand, Cohen has been with the CIA as its deputy director from 2015 to 2017. He tracked money flowing in several terror groups and other bad actors on the international stage in those years.
His track record earned him the nickname "financial batman" and "sanctions guru." After his work in the CIA, Cohen returned to his law firm, WilmerHale, who employs former FBI director and special counsel Robert Mueller, reported by NBC News.
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Cohen will assume his position as soon as Wednesday as it does not require Senate confirmation. However, Biden's chosen CIA director, William Burns, will need to undergo Senate confirmation. His nomination drew wide praise after getting announced this week.
Joe Biden Assures Appointed Officials Will Abide by 'Highest Ethical Standards'
Nominees to top roles in federal agencies are required to disclose financial and ethical agreements as part of their confirmation process.
These potential conflicts of interest can recuse officials from working on specific issues that may affect their business and personal interests. In his campaign as president, Joe Biden assured that his team would abide by "the highest ethical standards" to cultivate trust in the government.
Although he's not a lobbyist himself, Cohen's firm does millions of dollars in lobbying work each year on behalf of clients.
Before working for FEMA and in New York, Criswell worked at Cadmus Group, which provides homeland security management consulting and training services for government agencies and the private sector.
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