In 1995, President
Bill Clinton appointed him
Director of Central Intelligence. As Deutch was initially reluctant to accept the appointment, the position was conferred with Cabinet rank, a prerequisite ultimately retained by successor
George Tenet through the end of the Clinton administration. At the time of his appointment,
The New York Times quoted activist
Noam Chomsky, a prominent critic of U.S. foreign policy and of the
CIA, as saying, "He has more honesty and integrity than anyone I've ever met in academic life, or any other life... If somebody's got to be running the C.I.A., I'm glad it's him." As head of the CIA, Deutch continued the policy of his predecessor
R. James Woolsey to declassify records pertaining to U.S.
covert operations during the
Cold War. In 1996, Deutch took the unusual step of traveling to
Locke High School in
Los Angeles to address reports that the CIA had facilitated the introduction of
crack cocaine into Los Angeles. Speaking to a hostile crowd, Deutch denied any connection between the CIA and cocaine traffic in Los Angeles and vowed to open an investigation. Deutch left the CIA on December 15, 1996. In January 1997, the CIA began a formal security investigation of the matter. Senior management at CIA declined to fully pursue the security breach. Over two years after his departure, the matter was referred to the
Department of Justice, where Attorney General
Janet Reno declined prosecution. She did, however, recommend an investigation to determine whether Deutch should retain his security clearance. Deutch had agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor for mishandling government secrets on January 19, 2001, but President Clinton pardoned him on his last day in office, two days before the Justice Department could file the case against him. , 2020. ==Board memberships and fellowships==