The past few days have seen a whiplash series of events within the leadership at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). These changes could shape the future relationship between President Trump and the U.S. intelligence community (IC) and between the IC and the public.
The president’s selection of Amb. Richard Grenell as acting director of national intelligence (DNI) has raised eyebrows with many national security experts. Grenell lacks experience with the intelligence profession, a feature all previous DNIs have brought to the position since ODNI was created in 2004. He similarly lacks experience overseeing a complex enterprise like the U.S. intelligence community.