{"id":2634211,"date":"2026-07-23T16:06:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T20:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-cia-director-james-woolsey-who-served-under-clinton-and-later-advised-trump-dies-at-84\/"},"modified":"2026-07-23T16:10:55","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T20:10:55","slug":"former-cia-director-james-woolsey-who-served-under-clinton-and-later-advised-trump-dies-at-84","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-cia-director-james-woolsey-who-served-under-clinton-and-later-advised-trump-dies-at-84\/","title":{"rendered":"Former CIA Director James Woolsey, Who Served Under Clinton and Later Advised Trump, Dies at 84"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fformer-cia-director-james-woolsey-who-served-under-clinton-and-later-advised-trump-dies-at-84%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2634211&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>James Woolsey, a prominent former director of the CIA under President Bill Clinton, passed away at age 84 due to a stroke in Washington, D.C.He was recognized as a dedicated patriot who served in various government roles, including CIA Director, Undersecretary of the Navy, ambassador, and attorney. Born in Oklahoma in 1941, Woolsey attended Stanford and Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar before earning a law degree from Yale. His career included positions on the National Security Council and leadership during challenging times, such as the Cold War and the aftermath of Soviet collapse.<\/p>\n<p>His tenure at the CIA saw initial successes but was marred by notable failures, including the first WTC attack and lapses leading to the arrest of spy Aldrich Ames, which contributed to his resignation in 1994. Woolsey&#8217;s political views shifted to support more aggressive foreign policies, endorsing the invasions of Afghanistan and iraq and advocating for a strong defense stance. He publicly supported George W. Bush&#8217;s military actions and later advised Donald Trump\u2019s first presidential campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Woolsey was married three times and leaves behind his wife, three children, and five stepchildren. his lifetime of service was marked by a complex legacy of staunch patriotism and involvement in critical moments of U.S. intelligence history.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>James Woolsey, who headed the Central Intelligence Agency under Bill Clinton\u2019s administration, died Tuesday at the age of 84.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/07\/22\/us\/james-woolsey-dead.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The New York Times<\/a>, Woolsey died at his home in Washington, D.C., of a stroke.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCIA extends our condolences to the family and loved ones of former Director James Woolsey,\u201d the CIA said in a statement Wednesday afternoon.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was a great patriot who served his country as Director of Central Intelligence, Undersecretary of the Navy, Ambassador, and attorney.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">CIA extends our condolences to the family and loved ones of former Director James Woolsey. He was a great patriot who served his country as Director of Central Intelligence, Undersecretary of the Navy, Ambassador, and attorney. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/v9u93ooC41\">pic.twitter.com\/v9u93ooC41<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 CIA (@CIA) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CIA\/status\/2080029394899173476?\">July 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Born Robert James Woolsey in Oklahoma in 1941, Woolsey attended Stanford University and later won a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford. After obtaining his master\u2019s degree there, he headed to Yale Law, graduating in 1968.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/administration\/5984842-former-cia-director-woolsey-dies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Hill<\/a>, his first job in federal government was at the National Security Council in 1970.<\/p>\n<p>Woolsey served several administrations in various positions before being promoted to the head of the CIA in the early years of the Clinton administration; Clinton reportedly viewed his hawkishness as a way to mollify congressional Republicans who were skeptical of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/boltons-lack-of-vietnam-service-is-being-treated-very-differently-than-clintons\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">his bona fides on defense<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>While the relationship wasn\u2019t frosty, it also wasn\u2019t close. The best summation of the relationship possibly came from Richard Minter in his book \u201cLosing bin Laden: How Bill Clinton\u2019s Failures Unleashed Global Terror.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen a small plane accidentally crashed into the White House lawn in 1994, West Wing staffers joked that it was [Jim] Woolsey trying to see the president,\u201d Minter wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Woolsey also had a rocky tenure, with two terror attacks in his first year \u2014 including the first World Trade Center attack, a truck bombing \u2014 as well as dealing with the fallout from the collapse of the Soviet Union.<\/p>\n<p>The breaking point for Woolsey\u2019s support in Washington arguably came with the arrest of spy Aldrich Ames, which the CIA director called a \u201csystemic failure\u201d at the agency.<\/p>\n<p>However, no one faced dismissal or even demotion for those failures, which led to further erosion of the director\u2019s support base. Woolsey subsequently submitted his resignation in December of 1994.<\/p>\n<p>Woolsey would subsequently turn rightward in his political inclinations. He supported George W. Bush\u2019s invasions of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/cant-forget-quagmires-iraq-afghanistan-hold-off-judging-iran-next-forever-war\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Afghanistan<\/a> and Iraq, preemptively making the case for invasion of the latter during a television appearance in 2003.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know how many pieces of evidence one needs in the case of someone like Saddam Hussein. We know Saddam is working hard on weapons of mass destruction,\u201d he said, adding that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/the-mind-of-a-madman-saddam-hussein-wrote-a-romance-novel-before-his-death\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hussein<\/a> \u201cput a lot of time and effort in on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-funds-ukrainian-former-bioweapons-facility-handling-dangerous-materials\/\" title=\"U.S. Funds Ukrainian Former Bioweapons Facility Handling Dangerous Materials\">biological weapons programs<\/a>, as well as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-names-special-envoy-to-north-korea-after-meeting-with-moon\/\" title=\"Biden Names Spe...l Envoy to North Korea After Meeting With Moon\">ballistic missile programs<\/a> and nuclear programs. We know that he guarded more jealously than anything the details of his biological weapons programs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Woolsey would later admit this was faulty intelligence.<\/p>\n<p>In 2016, Woolsey became a senior adviser to Donald Trump\u2019s first presidential campaign, something the Times said \u201cwas driven by the candidate\u2019s advocacy for growing the defense budget and harsh critique of the Obama administration\u2019s nuclear deal with Iran.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Woolsey, who was married three times, is survived by his current wife, three children, and five stepchildren.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #171717; display: flex;font-size: 16px;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.5;margin: 24px 0;padding: 18px 20px 18px 30px;text-align: left;\">\n<div style=\"align-self: stretch;border-left: 3px solid #171717;flex-shrink: 0;padding-left: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/\">Choose The Western Journal as your preferred source on Google and never miss reporting that defends truth, protects freedom, and advances Western civilization<\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey == typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts = { \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs = [ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i = 0; i < inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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The CIA expressed condolences to his family and praised his patriotism and service<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2634212,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/James-Woolsey-dies.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[7362,12646,83088],"class_list":["post-2634211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-cia","tag-espionage","tag-james-woolsey"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/James-Woolsey-dies.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2634211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2634211"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2634211\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2634219,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2634211\/revisions\/2634219"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2634212"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2634211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2634211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2634211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}