Retired Navy Vice Adm. Joseph Maguire will serve as acting director of national intelligence, President Trump said Thursday evening.
The announcement came shortly after Trump revealed Sue Gordon, the No. 2 spy chief, would be resigning alongside Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats next week.
“I am pleased to inform you that the Honorable Joseph Maguire, current Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, will be named Acting Director of National Intelligence, effective August 15th,” Trump said in a pair of tweets. “Admiral Maguire has a long and distinguished career in the military, retiring from the U.S. Navy in 2010. He commanded at every level, including the Naval Special Warfare Command. He has also served as a National Security Fellow at Harvard University. I have no doubt he will do a great job!”
….career in the military, retiring from the U.S. Navy in 2010. He commanded at every level, including the Naval Special Warfare Command. He has also served as a National Security Fellow at Harvard University. I have no doubt he will do a great job!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 8, 2019
Maguire, 67, was confirmed by the Senate in December 2018 as the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, which is part of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. At the time, Coats praised Maguire as being “exactly what our country needs at the helm of NCTC,” and said, “[h]is vast experience in the national security arena will benefit the counterterrorism community as our nation faces increasingly complex threats from around the globe.”
Maguire retired from the Navy in 2010 as a vice admiral after a 36-year career, which included command of Naval Special Warfare Command. He also was NCTC’s deputy director for strategic operations planning from 2007 to 2010, and represented the Center as a part of the National Security Council’s Counterterrorism Security Group. Before being tapped to lead NCTC, Maguire spent some time as a vice president with Booz Allen Hamilton and worked as president and CEO of the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, a non-profit group that helps children of special operations personnel who died in the line of duty.
The Thursday announcement came shortly after Trump revealed Gordon would leave her role as deputy director of national intelligence, confirming reports that the president was looking to bypass a federal statute that would place her in the acting DNI role once Coats left.
Now Gordon is set to retire with Coats next Thursday. “Sue Gordon is a great professional with a long and distinguished career. I have gotten to know Sue over the past 2 years and have developed great respect for her,” Trump said via tweet.
It is unclear whom Trump will pick to be his nominee to permanently take over as the spy chief who oversees the entire U.S. intelligence community. Trump chose Rep. John Ratcliffe to be his nominee to replace Coats, but he announced last week he was dropping Ratcliffe as his pick amid scrutiny over the Texas Republican’s credentials.
