One of the most divisive issues since the conclusion of the United States presidential election has been the problem of whether or not there was Russian interference in the election results, and how high up the interference might have gone up the Kremlin chain. The issue has resulted in the first major fracture of the Donald Trump transition team: the loss of former CIA director James Woolsey.
The split
In September, Woolsey joined the Trump advising team to lead thought on issues of national security, a realm the former CIA director was extremely knowledgeable about.
His former community came into stark opposition with the President-elect, though, leading to tension between the two.
The heart of the issue was the Russian hacking allegations. The CIA determined that Russia interfered with the election in order to get Trump elected, an allegation Trump has vehemently refuted ever since it came to light. He disparaged the intelligence community and stated that he had more information than they did; Woolsey couldn't stand by his side and watch his community come under fire for the man he supported, so he severed ties with the transition team.
Past and future of James Woolsey, CIA
Woolsey was bound to be a valuable asset to the Trump transition team, if they ever accepted him.
He directed the CIA for a time during the Bill Clinton presidency, although he isn't believed to have had much of a relationship with the president. He also was forced to resign in disgrace after Aldrich Ames was arrested for spying on the United States and Woolsey didn't express an interest in enacting discipline upon the CIA.
At the age of 75, it seems like the political career of the Democratic Woolsey is over. The CIA is still in a state of transition, reeling from a swarm of cyber attacks against the country while still trying to convince the President-elect to take heed in their intelligence briefings and respect the job they're trying to do. Meanwhile, Trump is to be sworn into office on January 20, just two weeks away.
