"Sue Gordon is a great professional with a long and distinguished career. I have gotten to know Sue over the past 2 years and have developed great respect for her. Sue has announced she will be leaving on August 15, which coincides with the retirement of Dan Coats. A new Acting Director of National Intelligence will be named shortly," Trump tweeted.
....coincides with the retirement of Dan Coats. A new Acting Director of National Intelligence will be named shortly.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 8, 2019
Gordon's resignation follows in the wake of the announcement of the departure of her superior, DNI Dan Coats, who also said he would leave his position on August 15. Coats was a longtime critic of Trump's foreign policy decisions, including his meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
A report last week in the New York Times noted that Trump refused to let Gordon assume Coats' office after he resigns, citing sources inside the administration.
The DNI oversees 17 US civilian and military intelligence agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency. The purpose of the office is to plug vital holes created by a lack of coordination between US intelligence agencies following their catastrophic failure to stop the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 Americans.
Later Thursday, Trump indicated he would nominate retired US Navy Vice Admiral Joseph Maguire, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, to become new acting DNI.
