Trump picks acting intel head
Maguire in, Gordon out as deputy director after Coats leaves
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday named Joseph Maguire, the nation’s top counterterrorism official, as acting national intelligence director.
Maguire will become acting director on Aug. 15, the same day that National Intelligence Director Dan Coats’ resignation takes effect. It’s also the same day that deputy national intelligence director Sue Gordon will be walking out the door.
“Admiral Maguire has a long and distinguished career in the military, retiring from the U.S. Navy in 2010,” Trump tweeted. “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!”
Coats also praised Maguire, saying in a statement that he “has had a long, distinguished career” and will lead the intelligence community with distinction. It’s unclear if Trump plans to also nominate Maguire to formally replace Coats.
Gordon, who has worked in the intelligence field for three decades, announced Thursday she was leaving the same day as Coats.
“Sue Gordon is a great professional with a long and distinguished career,” Trump tweeted Thursday. “I have gotten to know Sue over the past 2 years and have developed great respect for her. Sue has announced she will be leaving on August 15.”
In her two-paragraph letter to Trump dated Thursday, Gordon thanked the president for the opportunity to serve the nation as deputy national intelligence director for two years.
“As you ask a new leadership team to take the helm, I will resign my position effective 15 August, 2019, and will subsequently retire from federal service,” she wrote.
She said she was confident in what the U.S. intelligence agencies had accomplished and what they were poised to do going forward. “I have seen it in action first-hand for more than 30 years,” she wrote. “Know that our people are our strength and they will never fail you or the nation. You are in good hands.”