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Trump said Maguire will take over the acting post on Aug. 15,
when Dan Coats, the current director of the agency overseeing
civilian and military intelligence, steps down.
"Admiral Maguire has a long and distinguished career in the
military, retiring from the U.S. Navy in 2010," Trump said on
Twitter.
Maguire has led the National Counterterrorism Center, which is
overseen by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence
(ODNI), since December. He retired from the Navy after a 36-year
career that included leading the Naval Special Warfare Command.
"I've known Admiral Maguire for some time and I have confidence
in his ability to step into this critical role," Senate
Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr said in a
statement.
Coats said he was pleased that Trump had chosen Maguire to serve
as acting DNI. "Joe has had a long, distinguished career serving
the nation and will lead the men and women in the (intelligence
community) with distinction," he said in a statement.
Last week, Trump dropped his first choice to replace Coats, U.S.
Representative John Ratcliffe, after questions arose about the
Republican congressman's lack of experience and possible
exaggerations in his resume.
Last week, Trump said he liked Gordon and might name her acting
DNI. Gordon, a career intelligence official, had the backing of
current and former officials because of her deep experience.
"Sue Gordon's retirement is a significant loss for our
Intelligence Community," Burr said in a statement.
Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Intelligence
Committee, said in a statement that Gordon's departure was a
"great loss."
Trump had a strained relationship with Coats, who endorsed the
U.S. intelligence community's assessment that Russia interfered
in the 2016 election with the objective of promoting Trump over
his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.
Trump also has objected to U.S. intelligence community analyses
of major issues - from Iran's nuclear program to North Korea -
that have clashed with his own assessments.
"President Trump has repeatedly demonstrated that he is
seemingly incapable of hearing facts that contradict his own
views," Warner said in his statement on Gordon's resignation.
The post of director of national intelligence, which was created
after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, oversees
the 17 U.S. civilian and military intelligence agencies
including the CIA.
Under the law, Trump needed to name a new acting director from
the senior staff of the agency. The National Counterterrorism
Center is part of ODNI.
His choice for the permanent job must be confirmed by the
Senate.
Among the potential candidates for permanent director are
Republican congressmen Mike McCaul and Devin Nunes, and U.S.
Ambassador to the Netherlands Pete Hoekstra, according to
administration officials and media reports.
McCaul is a former chairman of the House of Representatives
Homeland Security Committee and Nunes is a former chairman of
the House Intelligence Committee. Hoekstra is a former nine-term
member of the House who spent more than six years in top
positions on the intelligence committee.
(Reporting by Eric Beech; Additional reporting by Roberta
Rampton, Jonathan Landay and Mark Hosenball; Editing by Mary
Milliken, Lisa Shumaker and Sandra Maler)
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