Richard Grenell moved quickly to review intelligence after President Trump appointed him as acting spy chief last week.
Grenell, a Trump loyalist who may only be acting director of national intelligence for a short time, requested the intelligence that went into a classified briefing to the House Intelligence Committee earlier this month, in which lawmakers were told the Kremlin was interfering in the 2020 election and that Russian President Vladimir Putin favors Trump’s reelection, according to the New York Times.
The briefing, conducted by a top aide to former acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire, reportedly upset Trump, who complained Democrats could use this information against him. Trump announced on Wednesday that Grenell, the U.S. ambassador to Germany, would replace Maguire. Some reports have said Trump was angry with Maguire, but his allies deny the removal had anything to do with the briefing.
Maguire resigned on Friday along with his deputy, Andrew Hallman.
In a couple of days’ time, Grenell has requested access to information from intelligence agencies, such as the CIA. An official familiar with the matter told the Washington Examiner the request is completely straightforward and typical of a new director of national intelligence.
Democrats raised concerns about Grenell being a political appointee without sufficient background in intelligence, but Grenell said he won’t be nominated to take on the spy chief role permanently. Trump must announce a nominee for Grenell to keep the role in an acting capacity past March 11, after which he would get at least six more months. Trump tweeted on Friday that four people are under consideration and would be making a decision in the coming weeks.
Grenell appointed Kash Patel, a National Security Council staffer who previously worked for the House Intelligence Committee’s Devin Nunes, to be his senior adviser. According to a source who spoke with CBS News, Patel has a mandate to “clean house.”
