Trump’s DNI Pick Draws Fire From Top Democrat on Senate Intel Committee – By Paul D. Shinkman (US News) / Feb 19 2020
U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell will become yet another senior official serving in an acting capacity, prompting outrage from some top lawmakers.
The Senate’s top Democrat for intelligence matters on Wednesday slammed President Donald Trump’s decision to nominate U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell as his new acting director of national intelligence, saying the partisan and deeply loyal supporter of the president’s has no intelligence experience and that Trump himself is flouting congressional oversight by nominating yet another acting spy chief.
Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, which oversees nomination hearings for the DNI position, said in a statement Wednesday evening he would ensure “the work of our intelligence professionals is never interfered with or manipulated for political ends.”
“The intelligence community deserves stability and an experienced individual to lead them in a time of massive national and global security challenges,” Warner said. He cited recent reports that Trump has challenged the independence of the Department of Justice by pardoning or commuting a series of sentences, including political supporters, and publicly criticizing Attorney General William Bar. “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.”
Trump has faced criticism for appointing officials to occupy top positions in an acting capacity, avoiding the congressional scrutiny that comes with confirming nominees. Other members of his Cabinet currently serving in such a capacity include Chad Wolf, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and the current acting DNI, Joe Maguire, who took over the position last summer.
Warner’s statement Wednesday came moments after Trump in a set of tweets confirmed reports from earlier in the day, first from The New York Times, that he would make Grenell the new director – a position created in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks to coordinate the intelligence agencies’ work and serve as a principal adviser to the commander in chief.
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