President Trump has chosen a man with an unusual San Diego background to become acting head of national intelligence.
Trump on Thursday announced the appointment of Richard Grenell, currently ambassador of Germany, to replace acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire, who reportedly had briefed Congress on possible Russian interference in the 2020 election and drew the President’s ire.
Grenell has no experience in the intelligence community, but is considered a Trump loyalist. Like Trump’s controversial real-estate economist turned trade expert Peter Navarro, Grenell has a lengthy history in San Diego.
In 1998, he became press secretary to former Mayor Susan Golding, serving two years before moving to local defense contractor Titan Corp. as a spokesman.
During the Bush administration, he served as director of communications under four U.S. ambassadors to the Untied Nations.
After Barack Obama took office, Grenell established Capitol Media Partners in Los Angeles. In the run up to the 2014 elections, he was a consultant to former City Councilman Carl DeMaio’s congressional campaign.
Grenell, 53, is a Michigan native who graduated from Evangel University, a Christian institution in Missouri. Later he earned a masters degree at Harvard University.
