Swordsmyth
08-08-2019, 09:33 PM
Deputy Director of National Intelligence Sue Gordon is resigning from her post amid turnover at the top of the agency, President Trump (https://thehill.com/people/donald-trump) announced Thursday.
Bypassing Gordon for the role of acting director required her to leave or be removed from her current position, as the law states the deputy director should replace the director in the event of a change.
In a statement, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (https://thehill.com/people/adam-schiff) (D-Calif.) called Gordon's and Coats's retirements a "devastating loss" for the intelligence community.
"These losses of leadership, coupled with a president determined to weed out anyone who may dare disagree, represent one of the most challenging moments for the Intelligence Community," Schiff said. "It will be up to the Congress to ensure that the Intelligence Community continues to provide independent analysis and judgement to policy makers, and always speak truth to power."
Sen. Mark Warner (https://thehill.com/people/mark-warner) (Va.), the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, echoed Schiff's remarks, praising Gordon and lambasting Trump over the intelligence officials' exits.
"President Trump has repeatedly demonstrated that he is seemingly incapable of hearing facts that contradict his own views," he said. "The mission of the intelligence community is to speak truth to power; Yet in pushing out two dedicated public servants in as many weeks, once again the President has shown that he has no problem prioritizing his political ego even if it comes at the expense of our national security.
More at: https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/456775-deputy-intel-director-leaving-trump-administration
Bypassing Gordon for the role of acting director required her to leave or be removed from her current position, as the law states the deputy director should replace the director in the event of a change.
In a statement, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (https://thehill.com/people/adam-schiff) (D-Calif.) called Gordon's and Coats's retirements a "devastating loss" for the intelligence community.
"These losses of leadership, coupled with a president determined to weed out anyone who may dare disagree, represent one of the most challenging moments for the Intelligence Community," Schiff said. "It will be up to the Congress to ensure that the Intelligence Community continues to provide independent analysis and judgement to policy makers, and always speak truth to power."
Sen. Mark Warner (https://thehill.com/people/mark-warner) (Va.), the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, echoed Schiff's remarks, praising Gordon and lambasting Trump over the intelligence officials' exits.
"President Trump has repeatedly demonstrated that he is seemingly incapable of hearing facts that contradict his own views," he said. "The mission of the intelligence community is to speak truth to power; Yet in pushing out two dedicated public servants in as many weeks, once again the President has shown that he has no problem prioritizing his political ego even if it comes at the expense of our national security.
More at: https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/456775-deputy-intel-director-leaving-trump-administration