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U.S counterterrorism chief Christy Abizaid to step down after 3 years on the job
Washington — Top U.S. counterterrorism official Christy Abizaid will step down next month as director of the National Counterterrorism Center, or NCTC, after three years in the role, U.S. officials confirmed on Wednesday.
She will be replaced by Brett Holmgren, the current director of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, or INR, the State Department’s intelligence arm. Holmgren will serve as acting director.
In a statement, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said of the moves: “Christy Abizaid is an extraordinary leader who is not only incredibly effective but principled, courageous, and kind. We will miss her, but we are beyond fortunate to have Brett Holmgren taking on the leadership of NCTC — another truly exceptional leader in the counterterrorism field and a distinguished member of the IC leadership team.”
Abizaid became the first woman and the first openly gay person to lead the NCTC after being confirmed to the role in June 2021. She began her career at the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Joint Intelligence Task Force Combating Terrorism and held senior analytic roles in the Afghanistan-Pakistan Division and Middle East Division, deploying to the region several times.
Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Housed in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the NCTC serves as the government’s lead counterterrorism analysis hub, housing data on known and suspected terrorists and working across American agencies, including the FBI and Department of Homeland Security.
“Our primary role is to connect the dots, to live in the seams and to look across the information that we have to be able to discern when a threat is coming our way,” Abizaid said in a 2022 interview on CBS News’ “Intelligence Matters” podcast, now produced by Beacon Global Strategies. “And so transnational linkages, searching for transnational linkages, figuring out ways to disrupt those transnational linkages — that’s our bread and butter.”
The NCTC was stood up in the aftermath of 9/11 and celebrates its 20th anniversary in August. Abizaid said last month at a security conference in Doha, Qatar, that the center was more relevant than ever as it operates in an “elevated global threat environment.”
Holmgren was a counterterrorism analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency early in his career, later working as a senior analyst at the CIA and serving as counterterrorism director at the National Security Council during the Obama administration.
At the State Department, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Lisa Kenna, who served most recently as U.S. Ambassador to Peru and joined INR in September of 2023, will serve as the Bureau’s acting director.
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Kamala Harris will speak with “60 Minutes” tomorrow. Here’s what to know for the interview.
Voters will get the chance to hear from Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday as she presents her case for why she should be president in a “60 Minutes” election special.
For decades, “60 Minutes” has featured both Republican and Democratic nominees for presidents, but this year, former President Donald Trump backed out after previously indicating he would be on the show. Correspondent Scott Pelley, who’d been set to interview Trump, will instead travel to Arizona’s Maricopa County, home to more than 60% of Arizona’s voters and a critical battleground in a key swing state.
One thing is certain about the election; with the U.S. deeply involved in both the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, whoever wins on Nov. 5 will become a wartime president.
What Harris will discuss
Israel’s war started one year ago after Hamas launched a surprise terror attack and correspondent Bill Whitaker will discuss the ongoing war with Harris.
Harris will also discuss the economy, immigration, her record as vice president and the differences between herself and Trump.
Democratic vice presidential candidate Gov. Tim Walz will also appear.
Whitaker joined the Democratic ticket on the campaign trail this week to gain insight into their platform’s priorities and values, and what the candidates believe voters should know.
Why Trump pulled out of the “60 Minutes” interview
Leading up to the candidate hour, Trump, through campaign spokespeople, was the first candidate to accept the “60 Minutes” request to be interviewed for the special, according to CBS News. It had been agreed that both candidates would receive equal time during the broadcast.
Trump last sat down with 60 Minutes in 2020. He walked out during the interview with Lesley Stahl. Trump referenced the incident on Tuesday night at a Milwaukee press conference when asked about his decision not to participate in the Oct. 7 “60 Minutes” election special.
“Well, right now, I went to – they came to me and would like me to do an interview, but first I want to get an apology, because the last time I did an interview with them, if you remember, they challenged me on the computer,” Trump said. “They said the ‘laptop from hell’ was from Russia, and I said it wasn’t from Russia. It was from Hunter, and I never got an apology, so I’m sort of waiting. I’d love to do ’60 Minutes.’ I do everything.”
The Republican nominee for president emphasized that he felt he was owed an apology from “60 Minutes.”
“Let’s see if they do it. I wouldn’t mind doing 60,” Trump continued. “I’ve done ’60 Minutes’ a lot.”
In a statement on Tuesday, Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung said that Trump’s team had not agreed to an interview.
“Fake News,” Cheung said in a post on X. “60 Minutes begged for an interview, even after they were caught lying about Hunter Biden’s laptop back in 2020. There were initial discussions, but nothing was ever scheduled or locked in. They also insisted on doing live fact checking, which is unprecedented.”
Previous Trump, Harris appearances on 60 Minutes
Trump previously sat down with “60 Minutes'” Mike Wallace in 1985, Pelley in 2015 and Lesley Stahl twice in 2016, first in July of that year and then again in November of 2016. He also spoke with Stahl again in 2018 and 2020.
Harris previously sat down with Whitaker last year. She also was interviewed by Norah O’Donnell, “CBS Evening News” anchor and “60 Minutes” contributing correspondent, in 2020.
How to watch the “60 Minutes” election special
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