“The president has such respect for Director Pompeo and the men and women of the CIA," the White House said Monday. | Getty Trump adding CIA chief back to National Security Council

President Donald Trump is adding the director of the CIA back to the National Security Council.

The move amends Saturday's memorandum establishing the NSC, which did not list the CIA director as a "regular attendee" of NSC meetings.


“The president has such respect for [CIA] Director [Mike] Pompeo and the men and women of the CIA that today the president is announcing that he will amend the memo to add the CIA back into the NSC,” White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters on Monday.

The elevation could create friction between the CIA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

The DNI replaced the CIA director on the NSC when Congress created the position in 2005 to oversee the entire intelligence apparatus.

The CIA is considered the most powerful member of the intelligence community, and prior to the creation of the DNI, the CIA director coordinated the other agencies’ activities.

Obama’s CIA director and his DNI clashed early in his first term over participation in the meetings.