Head of the National Counterterrorism Center and his deputy are abruptly leaving as the Trump admin. considers a significant downsizing of their agency.
U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell at a reception in Berlin on Jan. 14, 2019. He is now acting director of national intelligence."We are grateful for Acting Director Russ Travers' many years of service to the American people. Russ told Acting Director Grenell he wanted to retire, and that he did not want another assignment," the statement said.
With the threat from al Qaeda and related forces much diminished, some inside the intelligence community believe the time has come to shrink the agency. Others say it could play a leading role in stepping up scrutiny of far right extremist groups. The job had been filled by retired Navy Adm. Joseph Maguire until he moved into the role of acting DNI, and Travers then became acting director of the NCTC. Trump fired Maguire as acting DNI after an aide told lawmakers during an election security briefing that Russia was interfering in the 2020 election with a clear preference for Trump.
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