President Donald Trump has named Richard Grenell, the US ambassador to Germany, as the acting Director of National Intelligence.
Announcing the appointment on Twitter, Trump wrote that Grenell has “represented our Country exceedingly well” in his role as ambassador to Berlin.
Grenell will now be tasked with heading up the National Security Agency, FBI and CIA among others.
He will succeed the current acting director, Retired Vice Admiral Joseph Maguire, who must by law relinquish his role by March 12. It is unknown at this stage whether Grenell's appointment will be made permanent.
A statement from Washington said that Grenell was armed with “years of experience" working with the intelligence services, adding that he would take a "non-political, non-partisan approach” to the role.
However, former CIA officer John Sipher has questioned Grenell’s suitability, citing doubts over his experience and his ability to remain impartial due to his strong conservative background.
Speaking to the New York Times, Sipher said: "This is a job requiring leadership, management, substance and secrecy. He doesn't have the kind of background and experience we would expect for such a critical position."
There is also a sentiment that Grenell, who has served as ambassador to Germany since April 2018, was handed the new role purely because of his loyalty to the president.
In his ambassadorial capacity, Grenell has been compliant in pushing Trump's desire for Germany to increase its NATO contributions and terminate its business operations in Iran.
He has also been supportive of Trump in dismissing the idea of Russian interference taking place during the 2016 presidential election.
Grenell is expected to retain his ambassadorial position while undertaking his new role.
It is not the first time that Trump's motives have been called into question concerning the position. When Dan Coats, the last permanent Director of National Intelligence, stepped down in July last year, Trump attempted to replace him with Republican congressman John Ratcliffe but was met with backlash from both Democrats and Republicans, leading to the appointment of Retired Vice Admiral Maguire on a temporary basis.
