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Trump Names Richard Grenell as Top Intelligence Official, Replacing Joseph Maguire

‘Unhealthy Partisanship’: Move Afoot to Improve the Workings of Parliament

Canada’s Parliament is increasingly moving away from forming decisions based on debates, with decisions instead largely dictated by parties or party leaders, says a veteran MP. A recent report backs up this view, showing the majority of MPs believe that “unhealthy partisanship” has become more prevalent in Parliament, with democratic practices declining, particularly in the areas of MP independence and debates. In the current minority Parliament, some MPs are working toward modernizing the House in order to increase efficiency and eliminate parliamentary dysfunction, among other issues that have long plagued the legislative body. Engaged in the discussions is Conservative MP Michael Chong, who has been committed to democratic reform ever since he was elected in 2004. In his view, Parliament has increasingly gravitated toward conformity to the point that new…

Trump Names Richard Grenell as Top Intelligence Official, Replacing Joseph Maguire

President Trump on late Wednesday said Richard Grenell, the U.S. ambassador to Germany, will be the acting director of national intelligence (DNI), replacing Joseph Maguire.

Trump in a tweet called Grenell “highly respected.”

“Rick has represented our Country exceedingly well and I look forward to working with him,” Trump wrote.

“I would like to thank Joe Maguire for the wonderful job he has done, and we look forward to working with him closely, perhaps in another capacity within the Administration!” he added.

The post of director of national intelligence, which was created after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, oversees the 17 U.S. civilian and military intelligence agencies including the CIA.

Maguire has been acting national intelligence director since Aug. 16, 2019.

In a statement, Maguire expressed his gratitude to Trump, calling the post “the opportunity of a lifetime.”

Maguire said he’d keep his position until Grenell assumes the role, adding that he looks forward “to the next challenge.”

It was unclear if Maguire would return to the National Counterterrorism Center, which he started leading in December 2019. The center is overseen by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). Maguire assumed the post after retiring from the Navy. His 36-year career included leading the Naval Special Warfare Command.

Trump Names Richard Grenell as Top Intelligence Official, Replacing Joseph Maguire Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire testifies before the House Select Committee on Intelligence in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on Sept. 26, 2019. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Grenell has been the U.S. ambassador to Germany since 2018. Before that, he was the U.S. spokesman at the United Nations in the George W. Bush administration, including under then-Ambassador John Bolton.

Trump named Grenell acting national intelligence director, meaning he would not have to be confirmed by the Senate.

The president’s choice for the permanent job must be confirmed by the Senate.

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the ranking member on the Senate Intelligence Committee, criticized the move. In a Twitter post, Warner wrote that he felt Trump “has selected an individual *without any intelligence experience* to serve as the leader of the nation’s intelligence community in an acting capacity.”

But others praised the announcement, including Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), a member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Grenell will “do a great job” in his new position, Paul said in a statement. Trump, he said, “should appoint those who agree with his policies including less government. Ric will deliver!”

Trump named Maguire to the position on Aug. 8, 2019. The announcement came after Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) removed himself from consideration after just five days amid questions surrounding the congressman’s alleged lack of experience.

Maguire became acting director on the same day former National Intelligence Director Dan Coats’ resignation took effect. It was also the same day that deputy national intelligence director Sue Gordon resigned. She said in a note to Trump that stepping down was not her “preference,” but added: “You should have your team.”

Zachary Stieber, the Associated Press, and Reuters contributed to this report.

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Shaking Hands With Bad State Actors Not Smart ‘Chess’

News Analysis Diplomatic relations is a chess game, one that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau didn’t play very well when he had a friendly handshake with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, says former cabinet minister and longtime MP David Kilgour. “You need to know how to move your pieces in a way that you’re going to serve your country and its interests, and not serve the interests of the other country, which is trying to hurt you in every way it can,” Kilgour says. Images of Trudeau greeting Zarif with a friendly handshake and bowing his head on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 14 was shared widely by Iranian state media, with critics raising concerns that the prime minister is being used as a propaganda prop by…