Trump picks counterterrorism chief as interim Intel head
WASHINGTON _ President Donald Trump said Joseph Maguire, head of the National Counterterrorism Center, will take over as acting director of national intelligence when Dan Coats leaves the post next week.
Maguire has had a "long and distinguished" career in the military, Trump said in a pair of tweets late Thursday. "He commanded at every level, including the Naval Special Warfare Command. He has also served as a National Security Fellow at Harvard University. I have no doubt he will do a great job!"
Trump's tweet came shortly after he announced that Sue Gordon _ the deputy director of national intelligence _ will resign this month along with Coats, her boss. Gordon would have been next in line to serve as acting director until the Senate confirmed Trump's choice for a permanent replacement.
Several Trump allies outside the White House had urged the president to remove Gordon, a career intelligence officer, describing her as too close to former CIA Director John Brennan. Brennan has publicly criticized Trump's leadership.
Trump's first choice to replace Coats, Rep. John Ratcliffe of Texas, withdrew from consideration following public scrutiny of his qualifications for the job and his combative questioning of former special counsel Robert Mueller at a House hearing.
_Bloomberg News
