House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff requested information from acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell about recent staffing changes while raising concerns about the politicization of the spy process.
“I am writing to express my concern that you are pursuing organizational and personnel changes at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence without consulting and seeking authorization from Congress and in a manner that undermines critical intelligence functions,” Schiff said in a four-page letter on Tuesday. “This effort appears to be proceeding despite the coronavirus pandemic and amid indications, exemplified by a March 10 briefing to members of Congress, of political interference in the production and dissemination of intelligence.”
Grenell shot back on Twitter, accusing Schiff of playing political games.
“His letter was sent to the press before it was sent to me,” Grenell said after journalists tweeted the letter out. “These press leaks politicizing the intelligence community must stop.”
Grenell, who is concurrently serving as U.S. ambassador to Germany, has faced opposition from Democrats who claim he was picked to be acting spy chief for his loyalty to President Trump. He has been a forceful advocate for U.S. interests in strengthening NATO and countering Russia.
Schiff said his committee would be undertaking “additional oversight” of three issues — the reorganization of the ODNI, election security, and the termination of Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson — in order to “ensure the independence of the IC.”
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not immediately respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
“Congress has neither authorized organizational changes at ODNI nor appropriated funds for that purpose,” said Schiff, who also told Grenell that “President Trump did not nominate you for confirmation as permanent DNI.” Trump has renominated Texas Rep. John Ratcliffe to take on the spy chief role permanently.
Schiff demanded by April 16 a “detailed written explanation for all potential organizational and personnel changes at ODNI” and all internal communications related to the departure of Russell Travers, the acting director of the National Counterterrorism Center, and acting Deputy Director Peter Hall.
Grenell’s office denied a report claiming Travers was fired.
“We are grateful for acting Director Russ Travers’s many years of service to the American people. Russ told acting Director Grenell he wanted to retire and that he did not want another assignment,” Amanda Schoch, the assistant DNI for strategic communications, told the Washington Examiner in March.
Since taking on the new role, Grenell has embarked on a weekslong effort to end what he views as redundant efforts carried out by the ODNI, aiming to shift some power back to the other spy agencies.
“Acting DNI Grenell has emphasized with ODNI leadership this review is not an effort to purge, as some have erroneously suggested,” Schoch said. “The goal is to make sure scarce Intelligence Community resources are used in the best way possible.”
In his letter Tuesday, Schiff also claimed “reports indicate that one or more members of your staff may be inappropriately interfering with the production and briefing of intelligence information on election security to Congress.” The Democrat said “if accurate, this politicization of intelligence would constitute a grave breach of your duty as Acting DNI to preserve the independence of the IC.”
Schiff demanded Grenell hand over by the same April 16 deadline “any and all communications” related to the Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center William Evanina’s participation in the March 10 briefing. The chairman also requested a “written election security update” by May 30 and Grenell’s own testimony before the committee “at the earliest practicable opportunity.”
National security officials told lawmakers in March the intelligence community had not concluded Russia was backing any particular 2020 candidate while warning about meddling by China, Iran, and North Korea. An unclassified ODNI fact sheet rejected a stream of media reports on classified briefings on election security.
“The IC has not concluded that the Kremlin is directly aiding any candidate’s reelection or any other candidates’ election. Nor have we concluded that the Russians will definitely choose to try to do so in 2020,” the ODNI said.
That countered media reports by the Washington Post and others in which anonymous sources said the intelligence community concluded Russia was helping Trump with reelection and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont win the Democratic primaries.
In February, the intelligence community disputed information the media were given about another classified House Intelligence Committee briefing, with officials denying lawmakers were told Russia was attempting to help Trump in 2020.
The New York Times from March, cited by Schiff as evidence of inappropriate interference, was largely based upon complaints by Schiff and other Democratic lawmakers. The article claimed Kash Patel, a senior adviser to Grenell, “imposed limits” on what intelligence officials could tell Congress, but other spy agencies said they received no such request.
Patel, a former top aide to the GOP’s current House Intelligence Committee ranking member Devin Nunes, was the primary author of a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act memo in early 2018, which detailed alleged FISA abuses against Trump campaign associate Carter Page.
Patel sued the New York Times and Politico last fall over reporting he says falsely accused him of being a back channel to Trump on Ukraine. He also criticized Schiff, tying him to the leaks from closed-door impeachment hearings.
Schiff claimed on Tuesday that Trump’s recent remarks prove his firing of Atkinson was “politically-motivated reprisal.”
He asked Grenell for a “written certification” that ODNI officials “will not permit retaliation or reprisals” against whistleblowers. And Schiff said Grenell has a “legal obligation” to submit to the committee the ICIG’s semi-annual report by the end of May.
“I thought he did a terrible job — absolutely terrible. He took a whistleblower report, which turned out to be a fake report. It was fake. It was totally wrong,” Trump said of Atkinson’s handling of the Ukraine whistleblower complaint this weekend.
Trump selected retired Air Force colonel and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency General Counsel Thomas Monheim to be the acting intelligence community watchdog.
“We are honored to have such an incredibly qualified expert,” Grenell said of Monheim.
