The Process of Running for Presidency

Covert Action Briefing

Summary:

During his eight years in office, President Bush continued to be actively engaged in the PDB(Presidents Daily Briefing) process, Bushes briefings really were events. In the week following his inauguration, Director Tenet and the president’s briefer, Michael Morell, met every day with the president, vice president, chief of staff, and national security advisor in what were described at the time as “highly interactive sessions.”

A decision was made to brief President-elect George W. Bush on a broad range of CIA foreign intelligence, counterintelligence, and covert action activities shortly before inauguration.

The Agency officer, James Pavitt, had the primary responsibility for operational activities, therefor he did most of the talking. He recalls:

“The briefing was a tour d’horizon of what we were doing...all of it. President-elect was engaged, listened carefully, and asked good questions.”

Tenet has written, “We told them our biggest concerns were terrorism, proliferation, and China. I don’t recall Iraq coming up at all.”

11 January 2001: Director Tenet and Deputy Director for Operations Jim Pavitt provided the president- elect, the vice president-elect, Andy Card, and Steve Hadley an extended overview of the programs at Blair House.