Evan McMullin may be the current conservative choice for president in the minds of many Utahns.
But they may not know about his path to becoming an undercover CIA agent.
Given McMullin's recent popularity, the Washington Post’s Josh Rogin interviewed six different CIA officers who worked alongside McMullin in a 10-year period.
McMullin started his time with the CIA as a trainee while attending Brigham Young University. As Rogin reported, McMullin would spend one semester in school and the next at CIA training. Only after the Sept. 11 attacks did the now independent presidential candidate receive a placement on the fast track toward becoming an undercover agent.
McMullin’s co-workers praised the BYU grad for his ability to reach out to people he didn’t know while out in the field
“As a Mormon, McMullin could not indulge in the vices that often help to build such bonds, so he used his piousness and his experience before college as a missionary in Brazil to his advantage,” Rogin wrote.
Find out more about McMullin’s time as an undercover agent over at The Washington Post.
Herb Scribner is a writer for Deseret Digital Media.