Joe Maguire, a Manhattan College alum whose life and career we admire, is out as President Trump's acting director of national intelligence for committing an unpardonable sin. He told the unvarnished truth.
A president needs confidence in his appointees. Trump apparently has more trust in Maguire's replacement, U.S. Ambassador to Germany Ric Grenell, despite the fact that he lacks a background in intelligence.
But watch that trust evaporate if and when Grenell dares deliver facts the president really doesn't want to hear.
A week ago, a Maguire aide briefed the House Intelligence Committee on a bipartisan basis that Russian agents were again interfering in our elections _ not only in the 2020 general election, but the Democratic primaries, to boot. And, yes, again, Russia wants Trump to win, for a variety of reasons.
Rep. Devin Nunes then reportedly relayed this information to Trump. Rather than being furious over Russia again compromising election integrity, rather than scrambling jets to raise the nation's guard, Trump trained his ire on Maguire, branding him "disloyal."
Ironically, last summer, Maguire held off on immediately turning the Ukraine whistleblower complaint over to Congress _ as the law requires _ in favor of trying to clear it with the White House and Justice Department. Trying to figure out "the right thing" with this president is a mug's game. Dear Leader is never fully pleased.
NSC aide Kash Patel has been installed as Grenell's deputy. A former Nunes staffer, Patel spoke at least once with Rudy Giuliani while the ex-mayor was in Ukraine seeking dirt on the Bidens. Grenell is smart and savvy, but he's been tasked with feeding chum to a shark.
This won't end well.
