Security News > 2021 > July > In 1st Visit to Intel Agency, Biden Warns of Cyber Conflict
President Joe Biden used his first visit with rank-and-file members of the U.S. intelligence community - a part of government that was frequently criticized by his predecessor Donald Trump - to make a promise that he will "Never politicize" their work.
Biden waited more than six months to make the short drive across the Potomac River on Tuesday to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, giving analysts and national security leaders - often derided by Trump as the "Deep state" - some breathing room.
The agency oversees the 17 other U.S. intelligence organizations.
Biden toured the National Counterterrorism Center Watch Floor, where analysts work to collect information and intelligence from various sources to ascertain potential threats.
Trump visited the Central Intelligence Agency on his first full day in office, praising the agency but also airing personal grievances.
The relationship between the intelligence community and the president "Went downhill from that very day," said Glenn Gerstell, who then served as general counsel of the National Security Agency and stepped down last year.