'Spymasters' Author Chris Whipple On Presidential Transition, Future Of The CIA

A conversation with journalist Chris Whipple about the challenging road ahead for President-elect Joe Biden, restoring the CIA and his new book "The Spymasters."

Chris Whipple, journalist and documentary filmmaker. Author of "The Spymasters" and "The Gatekeepers." (@ccwhip)

Excerpt from "The Spymasters" by Chris Whipple

An excerpt from "The Spymasters" By Chris Whipple. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be republished without permission from the publisher, Scribner.

Washington Post: "Opinion: A furious behind-the-scenes battle to counter Trump’s threat to national security" — "President Trump’s senior military and intelligence officials have been warning him strongly against declassifying information about Russia that his advisers say would compromise sensitive collection methods and anger key allies."

Reuters: "Biden's pick for top spy brings experience from CIA and White House" — "Avril Haines, tapped by President-elect Joe Biden to be the top U.S. spy, is a former CIA No. 2 who would be taking over as the chief overseer of a U.S. intelligence community beset by low morale and charges its work has been used for political attacks."

Politico: "Biden leans toward Tom Donilon as CIA chief" — "President-elect Joe Biden is leaning toward naming former Obama administration national security adviser Tom Donilon as his CIA director, two people familiar with the situation said."

RealClear Politics: "Ron Klain: Kamala Harris Will Be 'The Last Voice Biden Hears From Before He Makes Important Decisions'" — "Democratic operative Ron Klain joined MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell on Thursday for his first interview as Joe Biden's Chief of Staff to discuss progress in the presidential transition process, the relationship between the president-elect and vice president-elect Kamala Harris, what type of executive orders Biden plans to enact on day one, and working with Republicans."