WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden has chosen veteran diplomat William Burns to be his CIA director.

Biden made the announcement on Monday.

A former ambassador to Russia and Jordan, Burns rose through the ranks of the State Department to become deputy secretary before retiring to run the Carnegie Endowment of International Peace in 2014.

Biden praised Burns as an exemplary diplomat "with decades of experience on the world stage keeping our people and our country safe and secure.”

If confirmed by the Senate, Burns would succeed Gina Haspel.