President Donald Trump has picked Richard Grenell, the U.S. ambassador to Germany, as acting director of national intelligence, a move that puts a staunch Trump ally in charge of the nation's 17 spy agencies.
“Rick has represented our Country exceedingly well and I look forward to working with him,” Trump tweeted Wednesday evening.
Grenell follows Joseph Maguire, who has been acting national intelligence director since the resignation of Dan Coats in August.
It was unclear if Maguire would return to the National Counterterrorism Center.
“I would like to thank Joe Maguire for the wonderful job he has done,” Trump tweeted, “and we look forward to working with him closely, perhaps in another capacity within the Administration!”
Grenell, a loyal and outspoken Trump supporter, has been the U.S. ambassador to Germany since 2018. He previously served as U.S. spokesman at the United Nations in the George W. Bush administration, including under then-Ambassador John Bolton.
Trump can choose any Senate-confirmed official to fill the job.
The move makes Grenell, a controversial figure who is outspoken on Twitter, leader of an intelligence community the president views skeptically.
Grenell becomes the first openly gay person to serve in Trump's cabinet.
The pick was immediately panned by the leading Democrat on the Senate intelligence panel.
Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a statement: “The president has selected an individual without any intelligence experience to serve as the leader of the nation’s intelligence community in an acting capacity."
Warner pointed out that the appointment sidesteps the Senate's constitutional authority to advise and consent on key intel posts.
But conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt lauded the appointment, tweeting:
"Critics of appointment of Richard Grenell must have done better than he has in pressuring Germany to move towards NATO’s 2% goal or getting Kosovo and Serbia to an actual agreement? Ric has a great record of success abroad and at U.N. The Left despises him b/c he’s effective."
This report contains material from The Associated Press.