Michael Ellis

Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency 2025-

Official portrait of Michael Ellis, Deputy Director of CIA, 12 February 2025 (Central Intelligence Agency, public domain).

Michael Ellis is the Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

During the first Trump administration, Ellis served at the National Security Council as legal advisor and later as senior director for intelligence. His appointment to the latter position was criticised by some intelligence professionals for politicization of the role, and his involvement in a number of controversial episodes contributed to his reputation as a Trump loyalist.

He was appointed as General Counsel to the National Security Agency during the 2020 presidential transition, but resigned after being sidelined by the incoming Biden administration.