The acting of Richard Grenell, former US ambassador to Germany, head of the national intelligence directorate may turn out to be brief. Just nine days after the acting president was named, Donald Trump announced the appointment of a Texas representative, John Ratcliffe, to his Twitter account on Friday, February 28. The position of director of national intelligence, created after the September 11 attacks, is responsible for coordinating all American agencies, including the CIA and the NSA.
John Ratcliffe presents himself as a follower of the president. He was offensive during the prosecution of Donald Trump in the Ukrainian affair. His name had already been announced by the president in July 2019 after the departure of a consensual director, the former Republican senator from Indiana Dan Coats. The president, however, had to backtrack quickly after some hopeful reactions in the Senate, including from elected Republicans, who hinted at a delicate confirmation.
John Ratcliffe does not have much experience in this area, unlike the first incumbents. He was also singled out for embellishing his record as a Texas security attorney, a post he had held for only one year. He has only sat in the House of Representatives since 2015.
The Democrats' reactions to his appointment were strong. “The last time his appointment was considered, serious questions had been raised by both parties. I have a hard time seeing what has changed since then ", recalled Democratic Senator Mark Warner, number two of the Senate Intelligence Committee. " When the Russians intervene in our elections, we need an impartial leader at the head of the intelligence community, who sees the world objectively and speaks the truth to power. Unfortunately, neither Acting Director Grenell nor elected official Ratcliffe comes close "Assured the leader of the democratic minority, Chuck Schumer.
Tense relations between intelligence and Donald Trump
Richard Grenell was suddenly thrown into the post following a briefing by the Intelligence Committee of the House of Representatives on February 13. During the briefing, an assistant to the acting director of national intelligence, Joseph Maguire, reportedly shared an intelligence analysis that Russia would like to see Donald Trump re-elected.