Michael j morell biography of martin

Source: Daily Telegraph

The US president’s controversial ties to Russia are once again under close examination as he seeks to end the war in Ukraine

Ed Cumming

13 February pm GMT

As Russia and the US move to negotiate a peace treaty over Ukraine, all eyes are on the relationship between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. The two men have seemingly decided to settle things bilaterally; the world’s most nuclear-armed bromance has never felt more consequential.

In a social media post on Wednesday, Trump said he had a “lengthy and highly productive” phone call with Putin, during which they “agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately”.

Later that day, the president told reporters he and Putin would “meet in Saudi Arabia” and that while it was unlikely Ukraine would return to its pre borders, “some of that land will come back”. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said that the Russian president agreed with Trump that it was time to work together.

The surprise conversation came just hours after a prisoner exchange. On Tuesday, Russia released Marc Fogel, an American schoolteacher and former diplomat, who had been serving a year sentence for marijuana possession, in exchange for an unnamed Russian national who had been jailed in the US on money laundering charges.

Some fear the negotiations are an opportunity for Putin to claim a great victory. In an article for The Telegraph, Sir Ben Wallace, the former defence secretary, wrote that the talks had “echoes of Nazi appeasement,” while others have talked of a “betrayal” of Ukraine that will cede swathes of territory to Putin.

The latest developments have fuelled a theory among former senior figures in US intelligence that Trump has been unwittingly cultivated by Putin. As far back as , Michael J. Morell, a former deputy director of the CIA, argued that Putin was bringing his experience as a spy to bear on the future American president.

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Michael Morell is the only person who was with President George W. Bush on Sept. 11, , when the 9/11 attacks occurred, and with President Barack Obama on May 2, , when Osama bin Laden was killed.

Morell, a Distinguished Visiting Professor at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government, is still one of the country’s leading national security professionals.

During his year career at the Central Intelligence Agency, he served as deputy director for three years and twice served as acting director.

He received the Presidential Rank Award for exceptional performance—the nation’s highest honor for civilian service. He also received the Distinguished Intelligence Medal, CIA’s highest award, for his role in the bin Laden operation.

Today, he is a senior national security contributor for CBS News and hosts the popular CBS News podcast, “Intelligence Matters.”

His book, “The Great War of Our Time: An Insider’s Account of CIA’s Fight Against Terrorism—From al-Qaida to ISIS,” was published in and was a New York Times bestseller.

Twenty years after the 9/11 attacks, what sticks with you the most, both emotionally and visually?

There are a couple of moments that are etched in my memory. One is on Air Force One on Sept. 11, President Bush looking me in the eye and asking me, "Who did this?" I told him I thought that when we got to the end of the trail, we’d find al-Qaida and bin Laden. I told him I was so confident in that that I would bet my children’s future on it.

I also remember getting back to the CIA that night. I remember dozens and dozens and dozens of people at the gate. Some of them were current workers who had been sent home earlier in the day because George Tenet, then the director of Central Intelligence, had evacuated the building fearing a plane might hit it. And these current workers were saying, "Hey, we want to come back. We want to work. We want to help. We want to do anything we can.

Professor Matthew Morell has had an extensive career over four decades characterised by his focus on conducting and leading high-quality agricultural research that delivers benefits to the agriculture and food sectors, and to consumers. In leadership, Professor Morell has a track record in developing effective teams and working with institutions and their stakeholders to deliver innovations for the future.

As Director of QAAFI, Professor Morell is highly motivated by the opportunity to lead research programs that provide research and knowledge based solutions to many of the major big challenges of our times, including enhancing both profitability and sustainability in agricultural production, providing improved nutrition, building resilience in the face of climate change, and reducing the environmental footprint of agriculture, all in ways that protect and build the livelihoods of farmers and rural communities. The mission of QAAFI in providing benefits to Queensland through working closely with producers, the food industry, the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, and other research partners and stakeholders across the state, provides a highly fertile ground for conducting and delivering research that makes a significant difference to Queensland and its people. QAAFI has an important role serving as a focal point for Queensland in engaging nationally and internationally with global efforts to find solutions to global challenges in agriculture and food production.

Over the past seven years, Professor Morell led research in an international development context at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) based in the Philippines. As IRRI's CEO for the past five years, he led the institute's affairs across 17 countries, set strategic direction in close consultation with its Board of Trustees, staff and stakeholders. Prior to his appointment as CEO, Professor Morell was IRRI's Deputy Director General (Research), driving research and outreach programs ac