Chris Licht makes his first big hires
The CNN CEO is bringing on a former top official for the NYPD who famously landed an Osama bin Laden interview while at ABC.
TroibNews 
After weeks of pushing out some of its highest profile personalities, CNN’s new boss has made his first big on-air hires. And the names being brought on board further suggest a less outwardly political direction for the network.
During a call with staff Tuesday morning, CEO Chris Licht announced that John Miller would be joining CNN as the network’s Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst. Miller most recently served as the NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence & Counterterrorism. But prior to then he had a distinguished career in journalism, working as a correspondent for CBS News and an anchor for ABC News, where he famously landed a rare interview with Osama Bin Laden in 1998.
“I’ve worked closely with Chris Licht and share his editorial vision: speed, but not at the expense of accuracy, passion but not at the expense of objectivity,” Miller said in a statement shared with POLITICO. “I am especially proud to join CNN at a time when covering the news, getting it right and delivering it in a straightforward way has never been more vital to the American public.”
During Tuesday’s call, Licht also announced another high-profile hire from CBS News, telling staff that Dr. Tara Narula would be joining as a medical correspondent for the network.
The hires come as Licht has begun to assert his vision for the network that moves it away from its editorial posture of the last few years. That has manifested itself in the departure of well-known figures regarded as harshly critical of former President Donald Trump. The list includes media correspondent Brian Stelter, whose show Reliable Sources was canceled last month, as well as legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin and political correspondent John Harwood.
The new CNN boss has also made it a priority to connect with prominent figures in both major political parties. POLITICO previously reported that he’d met earlier this year with White House chief of staff Ron Klain, as well as prominent Republicans on Capitol Hill including House minority leader Kevin McCarthy.
Last month’s changes aren’t likely to be the last. Puck also reported that Licht is eying other major changes, and that anchors like Jim Acosta and Brianna Keilar could be on the chopping block.
