Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced Friday that John Cohen, the top counterterrorism official in the department, will be in charge of the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis.
Politico reported it obtained a copy of the announcement.
The Wall Street Journal said the move comes more than six months after that branch failed to issue warnings about the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
The newspaper said Cohen is expected to retain his position as counterterrorism coordinator, while leading intelligence and analysis.
Melissa Smislova had been overseeing the intelligence branch on an acting basis.
The Journal noted that during a March Senate hearing, she was asked why the unit failed to issue a warning about Jan. 6.
"In hindsight, we probably should have," Smislova responded.
According to the Journal, the office analyzes information that is publicly available and is supposed to share that analysis with law enforcement.
According to Politico, Mayorkas said Cohen’s title will be senior official performing the duties of undersecretary of Intelligence and Analysis. The outlet noted that means he will not be formally nominated for the role, which would have required Senate confirmation.
Cohen has more than three decades of experience in law enforcement and national security, Politico said. He previously helped run the office during the Obama administration.
Mayorkas also announced that Samantha Vinograd, who is currently the department’s senior counselor for national security, will be acting assistant secretary for counterterrorism and threat prevention in the Office of Strategy, Policy and Plans.
Vinograd previously served on the Obama administration’s National Security Council.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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