On Monday, President-elect Joe Biden announced former Deputy Secretary of State William Burns as his nominee for Director of the CIA.

Biden's transition team noted that Burns, a career diplomat who served in the United States Foreign Service for over three decades, has served in numerous national security positions across five Democratic and Republican administrations.

"Bill Burns is an exemplary diplomat with decades of experience on the world stage keeping our people and our country safe and secure," Biden said in a statement.

"He shares my profound belief that intelligence must be apolitical and that the dedicated intelligence professionals serving our nation deserve our gratitude and respect".

Biden added that "Ambassador Burns will bring the knowledge, judgment, and perspective we need to prevent and confront threats before they can reach our shores, the American people will sleep soundly with him as our next CIA Director".