[1] The position ensures that the agency operates within U.S. law, executive orders, and applicable international legal frameworks while fulfilling its national security mission.

[3][4] In 1996, Congress amended the Central Intelligence Agency Act of 1949 to require that the CIA's General Counsel be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate.

[5] It's important to note that while Jeffrey H. Smith served as General Counsel from 1995 to 1996, his appointment did not require Senate confirmation, as it occurred before the legislative change.

[5] Following Jeffrey H. Smith's tenure as General Counsel of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 1995 to 1996, the position became subject to Senate confirmation due to these legislative changes in 1996.

[6] Walter Bedell Smith Allen Dulles John A. McCone William F. Raborn Richard Helms Dwight D. Eisenhower John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Johnson Richard Nixon William Colby Gerald Ford Stansfield Turner Jimmy Carter William H. Webster George H. W. Bush Robert Gates James Woolsey Bill Clinton Acting George Tenet Acting Michael Hayden David Petraeus John Brennan Acting Mike Pompeo Donald Trump Gina Haspel