Report Finds No Wrongdoing in N.S.A. Hiring of Trump Loyalist

Politics|Report Finds No Wrongdoing successful Hiring of Trump Loyalist arsenic N.S.A.’s Top Lawyer

WASHINGTON — A Pentagon inspector general’s study released connected Thursday concluded that determination was nary undue unit from the Trump White House to name Michael J. Ellis to the delicate station of wide counsel of the National Security Agency conscionable earlier President Donald J. Trump near office.

But the report besides recovered that the N.S.A.’s enactment acted appropriately successful suspending Mr. Ellis days aft helium had been installed arsenic the agency’s apical lawyer due to the fact that of 2 “security incidents.” He near the N.S.A. 3 months later. The inspector wide recommended reopening an probe into Mr. Ellis’s handling of classified documents.

The reappraisal mostly confirmed the nationalist reporting surrounding Mr. Ellis’s hiring, noting that Gen. Paul M. Nakasone, the N.S.A. director, had reservations astir whether Mr. Ellis was the champion campaigner and balked astatine appointing him until straight ordered to bash truthful by Christopher C. Miller, the acting caput of defence astatine the time.

Mr. Ellis had been chosen by Paul C. Ney Jr., the Defense Department’s wide counsel astatine the time, implicit 2 different candidates.

Mr. Ney vigorously defended his determination to prosecute Mr. Ellis to the inspector general, and denied that helium had been subjected to immoderate unit from the White House.

The study said nary different witnesses indicated that they had been nether White House unit astatine the time, and the inspector general’s reappraisal of Mr. Ney’s emails besides did not crook up immoderate grounds of a unit campaign.

But 2 elder White House lawyers recommended Mr. Ellis to Mr. Ney. John A. Eisenberg, the National Security Council’s ineligible adviser, said helium spoke to Mr. Ney 2 oregon 3 times astir Mr. Ellis’s qualifications.

Pat A. Cipollone, who served arsenic White House counsel successful the Trump White House, besides had asked Mr. Ney if helium had chosen idiosyncratic for the N.S.A. occupation and said “Michael’s a large guy.” Mr. Ney said determination was nary impropriety successful the comment.

“I don’t consciousness unit from them and I don’t, and I bash not infer thing from them saying Michael Ellis is simply a bully lawyer, he’s a bully guy, he’d beryllium great,” Mr. Ney was quoted successful the study arsenic saying.

General Nakasone had raised doubts astir Mr. Ellis’s quality to pb a squad of 100 lawyers and did not similar however helium had handled the classification reappraisal of a publication by John R. Bolton, a erstwhile nationalist information adviser. In August 2020, helium told Mr. Ney helium preferred different campaigner and asked him to defer his determination until aft the predetermination successful November.

After the election, the process to prosecute Mr. Ellis began. But successful January, a elder N.S.A. authoritative learned astir an occurrence successful which Mr. Ellis was accused of not returning a classified papers to the N.S.A. and sharing it with a State Department official.

General Nakasone paused the hiring process connected Jan. 15, but the aforesaid time Mr. Miller ordered him to prosecute Mr. Ellis, which helium did the pursuing day.

On Jan. 17, General Nakasone’s lawman briefed him connected the information incidents involving Mr. Ellis’s purported mishandling of classified information. Three days later, connected the time of President Biden’s inauguration, General Nakasone placed Mr. Ellis connected leave, notifying Ezra Cohen, past the acting nether caput of defence for quality and security, of the decision.

Mr. Ellis resigned from his presumption connected April 16, and the N.S.A. dropped its enquiry into his handling of the classified documents.

The inspector wide said the information enquiry was capable origin for General Nakasone to enactment Mr. Ellis connected permission but was captious of the bureau for failing to implicit the information review. Because Mr. Ellis serves successful the Navy Reserve, the inspector wide recommended a caller reappraisal by the nether caput of defence for quality and security.

A spokesperson for the N.S.A. said the bureau cooperated with the inspector general’s investigation.

A petition for remark from Mr. Ellis, directed to the Heritage Foundation, wherever helium is simply a fellow, was not instantly returned.

But Mr. Cohen was captious of the information investigation, saying it should person been resolved earlier Mr. Ellis resigned.

“Unfortunately, this is yet different illustration of a deficient clearance process wherever national employees and subject members are held successful inexplicably agelong periods of limbo without capable owed process rights,” Mr. Cohen said.

Adam Goldman successful Washington contributed reporting