William J. Burns at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. on October 13, 2011 (U.S. State Department/Flickr)
When then-President Joe Biden nominated William J. Burns for CIA director in January 2021, Burns brought a resumé that emphasized diplomacy more than intel. Burns had served as deputy secretary of state under Democratic former President Barack Obama and U.S. ambassador to Russia under Republican ex-President George W. Bush. But the nomination went well, and Burns was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate — which was controlled by then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) at the time.
Burns left his position as CIA director on January 20, 2025, the day President Donald Trump was sworn back into office. Eleven and one-half months into Trump's second presidency, Burns gave a candid, biting critique of his foreign policy during an interview with Financial Times' Amy Mackinnon published on January 9.
Although Burns praised the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as executed in a "superb" way, he is worried about what happens next.
Burns told Mackinnon, "We now own a risky and uncertain outcome in Venezuela and the region. This action feeds a dangerous geopolitical shift, in which might makes right, and the world is managed by big guys sitting around a small table, cutting deals and carving up spheres of influence. That, it seems to me, plays right into the hands of our rivals in Moscow and Beijing, and further undercuts our allies and partners.”
After Trump's return to the White House, the Trump Administration — with the help of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — aggressively downsized a wide range of federal government agencies. And Burns believes the downsizing was carried out in a haphazard way.
Burns, an independent, told Mackinnon, "There's a crying need for serious reform. I just don't think this was about serious reform. I think it's been done in a way, largely, that's about traumatizing people and creating a kind of looking-over-your-shoulder culture. Imitating autocrats is not, in my view, a winning formula for succeeding."
Read Amy Mackinnon's full interview with William J. Burns for Financial Times (subscription required) at this link.
