An administration official confirms to @VOANews that @RichardGrenell will simultaneously serve as ambassador to #Germany and director of national intelligence (he's also special envoy for peace negotiations between #Serbia and #Kosovo).
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) February 20, 2020
Because Grenell is Senate-confirmed (as Ambassador to Germany), the President has the authority to name him Acting DNI under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act.
Of course, there'd be no reason not to _nominate_ him to be the actual DNI if he were actually qualified for the job… https://t.co/PGNShWGzXp
— Steve Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) February 19, 2020
Joseph Maguire, the current acting DNI, can’t serve past March. ODNI has been without a Senate-confirmed director since Dan Coats left last August.
— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) February 19, 2020
President Trump named American ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell as the acting director of national intelligence, a move that could see a longtime loyalist installed at the helm of the country’s 17 intelligence agencies https://t.co/pwLp4KBn1m
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) February 20, 2020
An amazing choice!!! @realDonaldTrump deserves someone he can trust and someone who knows how to get things done in this position.
Congrats @RichardGrenell go get em. https://t.co/KAKUhYElDj
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) February 19, 2020
Previous DNIs were:
Maguire: former NCTC and Navy Admiral
Coats: Senator on Intel Cmte
Dempsey: 30-yr vet of CIA
Clapper: DIA & NGA Director
Blair: CMDR of US forces in Pacific
McConnell: NSA Director
Negorponte: Dep NSA, UN Amb https://t.co/CB2hf7Cent— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) February 19, 2020
This is the 2nd acting director the President has named since Dan Coats' resignation, apparently in an effort to sidestep the Senate’s constitutional authority to advise & consent on such critical positions, and flouting the clear intent of Congress when it established the ODNI.
— Mark Warner (@MarkWarner) February 20, 2020