Donald Trump

Trump Anger Cost Joseph Maguire the Job of Director of National Intelligence

Trump announced Wednesday he was replacing Maguire with Richard Grenell

Joseph Maguire testifies before the House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019.
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

President Donald Trump pushed aside his acting director of national intelligence, Joseph Maguire, in anger over what he perceived to be an inappropriate congressional briefing by the top intelligence official in charge of election security, a former senior U.S. official familiar with the matter confirmed to NBC News.

Trump's anger cost Maguire a chance to become the permanent DNI, the former official said, confirming a report in The Washington Post.

Trump announced Wednesday he was replacing Maguire with Richard Grenell, the U.S. ambassador to Germany, a highly partisan figure with no intelligence experience.

That was a shift; previously, Maguire, who had served as acting director of national intelligence since August, had been under consideration to get the permanent job of DNI.

Read the full story on NBCNews.com

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