President Donald Trump announced Richard Grenell, current U.S. ambassador to Berlin, as the nation's next director of national intelligence.
Controversy has been swirling on two counts: Grenell is a known staunch Trump supporter, and he brings little intelligence experience to the role.
“Rick has represented our Country exceedingly well and I look forward to working with him,” Trump tweeted Wednesday. A statement Thursday said Grenell “is committed to a nonpolitical, nonpartisan approach” to the job.
In his new job, Grenell will oversee 17 spy agencies across the United States. He is replacing Joseph Maguire, who has been serving as the national intelligence director since August 2019.
Trump named Grenell as "acting" director of national intelligence, a post that does not require Senate confirmation. CNN reports that his role is likely only temporary.
An anonymous former White House official claimed Grenell was selected to fill in gaps with loyal staffers after Trump’s impeachment acquittal.
Trump is "looking for a 'political' who will have his back," the official said, according to CNN.
A BBC article said Grenell's pro-Trump bias will impede his ability to deliver neutral facts. The spy chief's job is to advise the president on all things intelligence-related, and having the backbone to oppose him, if necessary, is part of the job.
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Sen. Mark Warner, a Democratic leader on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Grenell was a questionable choice for the intelligence chief position. He claimed Trump “selected an individual without any intelligence experience to serve as the leader of the nation’s intelligence community in an acting capacity.”
"The intelligence community deserves stability and an experienced individual to lead them in a time of massive national and global security challenges. Now more than ever our country needs a Senate-confirmed intelligence director who will provide the best intelligence and analysis, regardless of whether or not it's expedient for the president who has appointed him." — Sen. Mark Warner
Grenell formerly worked for Fox News and served as a U.S. spokesman at the United Nations under the George W. Bush administration.
He is the first openly gay member of Trump’s Cabinet, according to The Associated Press.
He has held his position as an ambassador to Germany since 2018 and will continue in this role as acting director of intelligence.
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