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Trump Expected to Name Richard Grenell as Acting DNI (**Firtash connection**)
Last edited Wed Feb 19, 2020, 07:53 PM - Edit history (2)
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/19/us/politics/dni-national-intelligence-director-grenell.html
By Maggie Haberman and Julian E. Barnes
Feb. 19, 2020, 5:45 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON — President Trump was expected to name Richard Grenell, the American ambassador to Germany, to be the acting director of national intelligence, two people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.
Mr. Grenell, whose outspokenness throughout his career as a political operative and then as ambassador has prompted criticism, is a vocal Trump loyalist who will lead a group of national security agencies often viewed skeptically by the White House.
He would take over from Joseph Maguire, who has served as the acting director of national intelligence since the resignation last summer of Dan Coats, a former Republican senator from Indiana. Mr. Grenell, who has pushed to advance gay rights in his current post, would apparently also be the first openly gay cabinet member.
Mr. Grenell did not respond to a request for comment, nor did a White House spokesman. The people familiar with the move cautioned that the president had a history of changing his mind on personnel decisions after they were revealed in the news media.
</snip>
By Maggie Haberman and Julian E. Barnes
Feb. 19, 2020, 5:45 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON — President Trump was expected to name Richard Grenell, the American ambassador to Germany, to be the acting director of national intelligence, two people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.
Mr. Grenell, whose outspokenness throughout his career as a political operative and then as ambassador has prompted criticism, is a vocal Trump loyalist who will lead a group of national security agencies often viewed skeptically by the White House.
He would take over from Joseph Maguire, who has served as the acting director of national intelligence since the resignation last summer of Dan Coats, a former Republican senator from Indiana. Mr. Grenell, who has pushed to advance gay rights in his current post, would apparently also be the first openly gay cabinet member.
Mr. Grenell did not respond to a request for comment, nor did a White House spokesman. The people familiar with the move cautioned that the president had a history of changing his mind on personnel decisions after they were revealed in the news media.
</snip>
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Grenell
Richard Allen Grenell (born September 18, 1966) is the current United States Ambassador to Germany. He is the longest serving U.S. spokesman at the United Nations.
Grenell served for a time as national security spokesperson for Mitt Romney in his 2012 campaign for President of the United States, becoming the first openly gay spokesperson for a Republican presidential candidate.
In September 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Grenell to be U.S. Ambassador to Germany. He was confirmed by the United States Senate by a vote of 56 to 42 on April 26, 2018. He presented his credentials to the President of Germany on May 8, 2018.
Career
Prior to his post at the UN, Grenell was a political adviser to a number of prominent Republicans, including George Pataki and Dave Camp.
United Nations (2001–2008)
In 2001, Grenell was appointed by President George W. Bush as Director of Communications and Public Diplomacy for the United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations. Serving in that role until 2008, Grenell became the longest serving U.S. spokesman at the United Nations, advising four different U.S. Ambassadors. During his tenure, Grenell led communication strategies on such issues as the War on Terror, global peacekeeping operations, Iran and North Korea's nuclear weapons programs, and the UN Oil for Food corruption scandal.
2009–2017
In 2009, Grenell founded Capitol Media Partners, an international strategic media and public affairs consultancy with offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Washington, D.C.[e was under contract with Fox News where he worked a contributor, commenting on foreign affairs and the media. He has written for The Wall Street Journal, CBS News, CNN, Politico, Huffington Post, The Washington Times, Newsmax, and Al Jazeera. In 2012, CNN ranked Grenell's social media outreach as one of the top 5, and Time magazine named Grenell as one of the Top 10 Political Twitter Feeds of 2014. In 2013, Grenell was a signatory to an amicus curiae brief submitted to the Supreme Court in support of same-sex marriage during the Hollingsworth v. Perry case.
Ambassador to Germany
In September 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Grenell to become the United States Ambassador to Germany. After a significant delay, the Senate confirmed Grenell 56–42 on April 26, 2018. He was sworn in by Vice President Mike Pence on May 7, 2018, making Grenell the highest-ranking openly gay official ever in a Republican administration. Grenell was also under consideration for the posts of U.S. Ambassador to NATO and United States Ambassador to the United Nations.
In May 2018, within hours of taking office in Berlin as US Ambassador, Grenell offended diplomats and business leaders when he tweeted that “German companies doing business in Iran should wind down operations immediately.” The tweet was widely perceived as a threat, with the Foreign Minister of Luxembourg, Jean Asselborn, commenting that "This man was accredited as ambassador only yesterday. To give German businesses such orders … that’s just not how you can treat your allies.” The leader of Germany's Social Democratic Party stated that Grenell "does appear to need some tutoring" in the "fine art of diplomacy", while the Die Linke party urged the Merkel government to summon Grenell to explain his comments.
In June 2018, Grenell stirred controversy by telling Breitbart News, "I absolutely want to empower other conservatives throughout Europe, other leaders." It was viewed as anti-establishment. This was described as a breach of diplomatic protocol and a breach of Article 14 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which requires ambassadors to be politically neutral in the domestic politics of the countries where they serve. Prominent German politicians called for Grenell's dismissal. Martin Schulz, former leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, said, "What this man is doing is unheard of in international diplomacy. If a German ambassador were to say in Washington that he is there to boost the Democrats, he would have been kicked out immediately."
Grenell was a regular contributor on Fox News's Tucker Carlson Tonight during the first few months of his Ambassadorship in Germany. In November 2018 he made an appearance where he repeated his criticism of Angela Merkel's immigration policies and compared her unfavorably to the recently-elected Chancellor of Austria Sebastian Kurz, whom he claimed "won in a very big way" because of his strict stance on immigration. The magazine Der Spiegel called it a "thinly veiled call for a change of government in Berlin".
In December 2018, during the affair surrounding Der Spiegel journalist Claas Relotius, Grenell wrote to the magazine complaining about an anti-American institutional bias ("Anti-Amerikanismus" ) and asked for an independent investigation. Grenell wrote that "These fake news stories largely focus on U.S. policies and certain segments of the American people."
In January 2019, Grenell told Handelsblatt that European companies participating in the construction of Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline are "always in danger, because sanctions are always possible". The Trump administration has long opposed the Russian-backed Nord Stream 2 — a pipeline for delivering natural gas from Russia to Germany. Within that context he also sent letters to German companies involved in the construction of said Nord Stream 2, threatening sanctions. In response, Angela Merkel's successor as leader of the Christian Democrat Union, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, stated that "The American Ambassador operates in a, shall I say, somewhat unusual diplomatic manner."
Der Spiegel published a profile of Grenell on January 11, 2019, using interviews with 30 “American and German diplomats, cabinet members, lawmakers, high-ranking officials, lobbyists and think tank experts". The magazine claimed that "Almost all of these sources paint an unflattering portrait of the ambassador, one remarkably similar to Donald Trump, the man who sent him to Berlin. A majority of them describe Grenell as a vain, narcissistic person who dishes out aggressively, but can barely handle criticism." The profile claimed that Grenell is politically isolated in Berlin because of his association with the far-right Alternative for Germany Party, causing the leaders of the mainstream German parties, including the Chancellor herself, to avoid contact with him. The sources claimed that Grenell "knows little about Germany and Europe, that he ignores most of the dossiers his colleagues at the embassy write for him, and that his knowledge of the subject matter is superficial."
In February 2019, it was announced that Grenell was leading the Trump administration's newly formed effort to promote the decriminalization of homosexuality in nations in which homosexuality was illegal.
In March 2019, Wolfgang Kubicki, deputy chairman of the Free Democratic Party, called for Grenell to be expelled from Germany, stating, "Any U.S. diplomat who acts like a high commissioner of an occupying power must learn that our tolerance also knows its limits."
Personal life
Grenell is a registered Republican.
In June 2013, Grenell revealed that he had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and started chemotherapy. In September 2013, Grenell announced that he was in remission.
Grenell has a longtime partner, Matt Lashey.
</snip>
Richard Allen Grenell (born September 18, 1966) is the current United States Ambassador to Germany. He is the longest serving U.S. spokesman at the United Nations.
Grenell served for a time as national security spokesperson for Mitt Romney in his 2012 campaign for President of the United States, becoming the first openly gay spokesperson for a Republican presidential candidate.
In September 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Grenell to be U.S. Ambassador to Germany. He was confirmed by the United States Senate by a vote of 56 to 42 on April 26, 2018. He presented his credentials to the President of Germany on May 8, 2018.
Career
Prior to his post at the UN, Grenell was a political adviser to a number of prominent Republicans, including George Pataki and Dave Camp.
United Nations (2001–2008)
In 2001, Grenell was appointed by President George W. Bush as Director of Communications and Public Diplomacy for the United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations. Serving in that role until 2008, Grenell became the longest serving U.S. spokesman at the United Nations, advising four different U.S. Ambassadors. During his tenure, Grenell led communication strategies on such issues as the War on Terror, global peacekeeping operations, Iran and North Korea's nuclear weapons programs, and the UN Oil for Food corruption scandal.
2009–2017
In 2009, Grenell founded Capitol Media Partners, an international strategic media and public affairs consultancy with offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Washington, D.C.[e was under contract with Fox News where he worked a contributor, commenting on foreign affairs and the media. He has written for The Wall Street Journal, CBS News, CNN, Politico, Huffington Post, The Washington Times, Newsmax, and Al Jazeera. In 2012, CNN ranked Grenell's social media outreach as one of the top 5, and Time magazine named Grenell as one of the Top 10 Political Twitter Feeds of 2014. In 2013, Grenell was a signatory to an amicus curiae brief submitted to the Supreme Court in support of same-sex marriage during the Hollingsworth v. Perry case.
Ambassador to Germany
In September 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Grenell to become the United States Ambassador to Germany. After a significant delay, the Senate confirmed Grenell 56–42 on April 26, 2018. He was sworn in by Vice President Mike Pence on May 7, 2018, making Grenell the highest-ranking openly gay official ever in a Republican administration. Grenell was also under consideration for the posts of U.S. Ambassador to NATO and United States Ambassador to the United Nations.
In May 2018, within hours of taking office in Berlin as US Ambassador, Grenell offended diplomats and business leaders when he tweeted that “German companies doing business in Iran should wind down operations immediately.” The tweet was widely perceived as a threat, with the Foreign Minister of Luxembourg, Jean Asselborn, commenting that "This man was accredited as ambassador only yesterday. To give German businesses such orders … that’s just not how you can treat your allies.” The leader of Germany's Social Democratic Party stated that Grenell "does appear to need some tutoring" in the "fine art of diplomacy", while the Die Linke party urged the Merkel government to summon Grenell to explain his comments.
In June 2018, Grenell stirred controversy by telling Breitbart News, "I absolutely want to empower other conservatives throughout Europe, other leaders." It was viewed as anti-establishment. This was described as a breach of diplomatic protocol and a breach of Article 14 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which requires ambassadors to be politically neutral in the domestic politics of the countries where they serve. Prominent German politicians called for Grenell's dismissal. Martin Schulz, former leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, said, "What this man is doing is unheard of in international diplomacy. If a German ambassador were to say in Washington that he is there to boost the Democrats, he would have been kicked out immediately."
Grenell was a regular contributor on Fox News's Tucker Carlson Tonight during the first few months of his Ambassadorship in Germany. In November 2018 he made an appearance where he repeated his criticism of Angela Merkel's immigration policies and compared her unfavorably to the recently-elected Chancellor of Austria Sebastian Kurz, whom he claimed "won in a very big way" because of his strict stance on immigration. The magazine Der Spiegel called it a "thinly veiled call for a change of government in Berlin".
In December 2018, during the affair surrounding Der Spiegel journalist Claas Relotius, Grenell wrote to the magazine complaining about an anti-American institutional bias ("Anti-Amerikanismus" ) and asked for an independent investigation. Grenell wrote that "These fake news stories largely focus on U.S. policies and certain segments of the American people."
In January 2019, Grenell told Handelsblatt that European companies participating in the construction of Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline are "always in danger, because sanctions are always possible". The Trump administration has long opposed the Russian-backed Nord Stream 2 — a pipeline for delivering natural gas from Russia to Germany. Within that context he also sent letters to German companies involved in the construction of said Nord Stream 2, threatening sanctions. In response, Angela Merkel's successor as leader of the Christian Democrat Union, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, stated that "The American Ambassador operates in a, shall I say, somewhat unusual diplomatic manner."
Der Spiegel published a profile of Grenell on January 11, 2019, using interviews with 30 “American and German diplomats, cabinet members, lawmakers, high-ranking officials, lobbyists and think tank experts". The magazine claimed that "Almost all of these sources paint an unflattering portrait of the ambassador, one remarkably similar to Donald Trump, the man who sent him to Berlin. A majority of them describe Grenell as a vain, narcissistic person who dishes out aggressively, but can barely handle criticism." The profile claimed that Grenell is politically isolated in Berlin because of his association with the far-right Alternative for Germany Party, causing the leaders of the mainstream German parties, including the Chancellor herself, to avoid contact with him. The sources claimed that Grenell "knows little about Germany and Europe, that he ignores most of the dossiers his colleagues at the embassy write for him, and that his knowledge of the subject matter is superficial."
In February 2019, it was announced that Grenell was leading the Trump administration's newly formed effort to promote the decriminalization of homosexuality in nations in which homosexuality was illegal.
In March 2019, Wolfgang Kubicki, deputy chairman of the Free Democratic Party, called for Grenell to be expelled from Germany, stating, "Any U.S. diplomat who acts like a high commissioner of an occupying power must learn that our tolerance also knows its limits."
Personal life
Grenell is a registered Republican.
In June 2013, Grenell revealed that he had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and started chemotherapy. In September 2013, Grenell announced that he was in remission.
Grenell has a longtime partner, Matt Lashey.
</snip>
Rachel Maddow:
Rachel Maddow MSNBC ✔@maddow
NYT says Trump is poised to name Richard Grenell as Director of National Intelligence.
Here's Lev Parnas telling the Daily Beast that Grenell agreed to give a "heads up" to Kremlin-connected oligarch Dmitry Firtash if DOJ was about to move to extradite him to face trial here:
“During the situation that was going on with the Firtash case, Victoria [Toensing] called Ric Grenell...
“She basically asked him, if he sees any pressure coming from DOJ to extradite Firtash, if he could let us know. She told me he said he would.”
"A spokesperson for Grenell at the US embassy in Berlin did not respond to multiple requests for comment, which included detailed visibility of this reporting. State Dept officials in Washington also did not respond to multiple requests for comment."
Firtash is wanted in this country on multiple felony corruption and bribery charges.
DOJ prosecutors say Firtash is an "upper-echelon associate" of Russian Organized Crime.
6:09 PM - Feb 19, 2020
NYT says Trump is poised to name Richard Grenell as Director of National Intelligence.
Here's Lev Parnas telling the Daily Beast that Grenell agreed to give a "heads up" to Kremlin-connected oligarch Dmitry Firtash if DOJ was about to move to extradite him to face trial here:
“During the situation that was going on with the Firtash case, Victoria [Toensing] called Ric Grenell...
“She basically asked him, if he sees any pressure coming from DOJ to extradite Firtash, if he could let us know. She told me he said he would.”
https://www.thedailybeast.com/lev-parnas-dishes-on-kushner-maduro-and-soros …
Exclusive: Lev Parnas Dishes on Kushner, Maduro, and Soros
In an interview from his lawyer's office, the ex-Giuliani ally talked cannabis, conspiracies, and one very weird meeting with the lawyers of an indicted Ukrainian oligarch.
"A spokesperson for Grenell at the US embassy in Berlin did not respond to multiple requests for comment, which included detailed visibility of this reporting. State Dept officials in Washington also did not respond to multiple requests for comment."
Firtash is wanted in this country on multiple felony corruption and bribery charges.
DOJ prosecutors say Firtash is an "upper-echelon associate" of Russian Organized Crime.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/07/26/feds-call-ex-manafort-associate-dmytro-firtash-top-tier-player-russian-organized-crime/514131001/ …
Feds call ex-Manafort associate Dmytro Firtash a top-tier player in Russian organized crime
6:09 PM - Feb 19, 2020
Link to tweet
Link to tweet
12 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
I think you might be right. What an imperious asshole. 
He's connected to Firtash.
