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Media explodes when Trump taps ‘loyalist’ Richard Grenell as acting Director of Nat Intelligence

February 20, 2020 | | Print Article
(Image: Fox Business screenshot)

President Donald Trump’s decision to name Richard Grenell as acting director of national intelligence sent an explosive ripple through the mainstream media.

Analysts and commentators from CNN, MSNBC and other outlets erupted into instant condemnation of Grenell, currently the U.S. ambassador to Germany, to the position, making him the first openly gay cabinet member in replacing the current acting director of national intelligence, Joseph Maguire.

Trump thanked Maguire, who was set to leave the position within weeks by law, and tweeted that he was “pleased to announce” the news about Grenell.

CNN’s Wolf Blitzer focused on the news with a panel discussion Wednesday that featured an on-screen graphic which read: “Sources: Trump to name loyalist Ric Grenell as acting DNI, avoiding senate confirmation.”

“President Trump appears poised to fill the critical job of Director of National Intelligence with a loyalist,” the CNN anchor said.

“It is actually a stunning choice,” Carrie Cordero, a former Obama official, chimed in. “I think that Richard Grenell would be the least qualified person to ever hold that.”

“The first five directors of national intelligence who were confirmed by the Senate who had been people with decades of professional intelligence community experience or extensive careers in the diplomatic core or … there were two who were former admirals in the U.S. Navy,” the CNN national security analyst added. “So these are people usually who have absolute decades of executive leadership in the military or in the intelligence community.”

Cordero went on to argue that Grenell “has no intelligence background whatsoever.”

“But really, his background as a communications professional, as I understand, is one that would be more suited to the spokesperson for the DNI than to serve as DNI,” she added.

During a report on Tuesday, CNN chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta shared that Grenell is a “polarizing figure” and “out of his league” according to an unnamed Trump adviser.

More of CNN’s troops took to social media to have a meltdown.

CNN senior political commentator David Axelrod tweeted a simple, “Are you kidding?” and CNN senior political analyst Ryan Lizza also reacted.

CNN national security and legal analyst Susan Hennessey accused the president of subverting the Constitution.

And CNN national security analyst Sam Vinograd also unloaded.

Commentators from other outlets also joined the pile on, with Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin called the appointment “outrageous” and “horrific” in separate tweets.

MSNBC talking heads also expressed their outrage, with Joe Scarborough calling it a “definition of failing up.

NBC News contributor Ned Price called Grenell “a partisan bomb-thrower whose only skill is defending Trump.”

Washington Post political columnist Karen Tumulty called Grenell a “Twitter troll,” while Huffington Post senior politics reporter Jennifer Bendery tweeted that he was “the first person I ever blocked on Twitter for aggressive rudeness!”

While the mainstream media and liberal pundits continued to panic over Trump’s pick, others grabbed the virtual popcorn and called out their hypocrisy.

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Frieda Powers
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