Trump Might Hire Jewish Investor To Review Spy Agencies
Donald Trump speaking at a rally during his presidential campaign. Image by Getty Images
By Josh Nathan-Kazis February 16, 2017
The New York Times reported Wednesday evening that President Donald Trump is planning to hire private equity billionaire Steve Feinberg to run a “broad review of American intelligence agencies.”
Feinberg, who has no intelligence experience, is a founder of Cerberus Capital Management, a $40 billion firm with a wide range of assets, including the military contractor DynCorp. Feinberg raised money for Trump’s campaign, and is currently a member of Trump’s executive advisory council.
Known as reclusive and media-shy, Feinberg gives few interviews. He spent the early part of his Wall Street career at the investment bank Drexel Burnham Lambert. He is reportedly close friends with the investor J. Ezra Merkin.
The expected appointment comes amid growing tensions between Trump and the intelligence community, as Trump continues to criticize intelligence staffers over leaks.
Contact Josh Nathan-Kazis at [email protected]
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
