Scoop: RFK Jr. pushes his daughter-in-law for CIA deputy director
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Amaryllis Fox during the "Markus Lanz" TV show on Nov. 20, 2019 in Hamburg, Germany. Photo: Tristar Media/Getty Images
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s campaign manager and daughter-in-law Amaryllis Fox Kennedy is making a push to serve as deputy director at the CIA next year — and RFK Jr. is making calls on her behalf, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Fox Kennedy, an integral member of Kennedy's campaign, wrote a memoir detailing nearly a decade working at the CIA. The deputy director position does not require Senate confirmation.
- President-elect Trump, who has signaled plans to try to overhaul U.S. intelligence agencies during his second term, has already named former intelligence director John Ratcliffe to lead the CIA.
- The deputy position is one of the highest-profile intelligence jobs that remains open. Politico reported last month that Kash Patel, who has been tapped for FBI director, and Cliff Sims, a former Trump administration official, were jockeying for the role.
- Fox Kennedy did not respond to Axios outreach for this story.
Zoom in: Fox Kennedy in 2019 published a memoir, "Life Undercover: Coming of Age in the CIA," that provided one of the most detailed personal accounts of life in the agency.
- Fox Kennedy has said she was recruited by the CIA in her early 20s, becoming one of the youngest female officers at the agency.
- She said she was a "nonofficial cover," meaning she posed as a citizen under a fake identity and had no diplomatic protections.
Between the lines: Fox Kennedy reportedly submitted the memoir to the book publisher without getting sign off from the CIA's Publication Review Board, stirring controversy within the agency.
- The board is supposed to approve any material from officers before becoming public to ensure that key intelligence matters remain secret, freelance journalist Yashar Ali reported at the time.
State of play: Fox Kennedy, who took over as Kennedy's campaign manager in October 2023, led his presidential bid as he navigated the arduous task of trying to get on the ballot in all 50 states as an independent candidate.
- Kennedy suspended his campaign in August and backed Trump.
- In November, Trump nominated Kennedy to serve as director of the Department of Health and Human Services.
What they're saying: "President-Elect Trump has made brilliant decisions on who will serve in his second Administration at lightning pace," Trump-Vance transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
- "Remaining decisions will continue to be announced by him when they are made."
- A spokesperson for the Kennedy team did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
