NYT: Trump may name Doug Collins new director of national intelligence

[dalton99a]

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/20/us/politics/grenell-trump-intelligence-director.html

Trump’s New Intelligence Director Faces a Legal Countdown Clock on His Tenure
Under federal law, Richard Grenell, the new acting director of national intelligence, may be able to serve only a few weeks unless the president nominates someone to take on the job permanently.
By Julian E. Barnes and Maggie Haberman
Feb. 20, 2020

WASHINGTON — President Trump’s new acting director of national intelligence may hold the job for only about three weeks — unless the White House quickly finds a permanent nominee to offer to the Senate for confirmation.

The president tapped Richard Grenell, the American ambassador to Germany, on Wednesday to add the role overseeing the nation’s 17 spy agencies to his existing duties. Mr. Grenell agreed to hold the post for only a limited period of time, according to people familiar with his plan.

Federal law gives the president a great deal of flexibility to appoint whomever he chooses to the position on a temporary basis while his official nominee for the job awaits confirmation from the Senate. Late Thursday, Mr. Trump, traveling on the West Coast, told reporters he was considering naming Representative Doug Collins, Republican of Georgia and an ally of his currently running for the Senate, as the permanent director.

Under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, Mr. Grenell can serve in his post only until March 11 unless the president formally nominates someone else for the job. That move would allow Mr. Grenell to serve for months longer as the nomination works its way through the Senate. Two administration officials said that officials were aware that they must nominate someone else soon, and that the process to find a formal nominee was underway.

[mahina]

1. Holy crap. Was Devin Nunes too busy? How about Rohrbacher?

I guess his only criterion is idiocy?

There are no more grownups in the room.

He’s going to have to get the word from someone that this is an actual job that does actual work.

[struggle4progress]

2. Eyes solution to Georgia primary problem by nominating Collins for intelligence head

... The president told reporters aboard Air Force One after a Thursday night campaign rally in Colorado Springs that the Georgia Republican was among his potential nominees for the intelligence chief position ...

Collins .. outgoing ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, recently launched a primary challenge to GOP Sen. Kelly Loeffler. Appointed.. Loeffler faces Georgia voters in November for the .. two years of Isakson’s term.

The campaign infrastructure of the Republican Party is supporting Loeffler ...

Trump had hinted .. that he was looking for a way to avoid a contentious Georgia Senate primary ...

https://www.rollcall.com/2020/02/21/trump-eyes-solution-to-georgia-primary-problem-by-nominating-doug-collins-for-head-of-intelligence/

[Ilsa]

3. Then he'll be out of a job in November. nt

[ElementaryPenguin]

4. An excellent, non-partisan choice!!

[superpatriotman]

5. A dangerous lunatic

Who doesn’t belong anywhere near sensitive intelligence

[Dennis Donovan]

6. He *publicly* turned them down - making the WH look like Amateur Hour since they didn't...

...actually check with him before saying they were going to give him the job:

Link to tweet

Jonathan Swan ✔ @jonathanvswan

How does your team not check with the guy you’re floating before you float him?! Now President gets publicly rebuffed on live television. Smacks of a half baked idea that seems politically smart in a vacuum but that apparently nobody bothered on the WH staff thought to check.

Kaitlan Collins ✔@kaitlancollins

And Collins turns it down, telling Fox Business, “I know the problems in our intelligence community, but this is not a job that interests me at this time it's not one that I would accept, because I'm running a Senate race down here in Georgia.”

8:23 AM - Feb 21, 2020

[dalton99a]

7. +1. Not the first time either