Richard Grenell | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2020 | |
| Special Presidential Envoy for Serbia and Kosovo Peace Negotiations | |
| In office October 4, 2019 – January 20, 2021 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| United States Ambassador to Germany | |
| In office May 8, 2018 – June 1, 2020 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | John B. Emerson |
| Succeeded by | Amy Gutmann |
| Director of National Intelligence | |
| Acting February 20, 2020 – May 26, 2020 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Deputy | Andrew P. Hallman (acting) Neil Wiley (acting) |
| Preceded by | Joseph Maguire (acting) |
| Succeeded by | John Ratcliffe |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 18, 1966 Jenison, Michigan, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Domestic partner | Matt Lashey |
| Education | Evangel University (BA) Harvard University (MPA) |
Richard Allen Grenell (born September 18, 1966) is an American political operative, diplomat, TV personality, and public relations consultant who served as Acting Director of National Intelligence in President Donald Trump’s Cabinet in 2020. A member of the Republican Party, Grenell served as the United States Ambassador to Germany from 2018 to 2020 and as the Special Presidential Envoy for Serbia and Kosovo Peace Negotiations from 2019 to 2021.
Grenell was a U.S. State Department spokesperson to the United Nations during the George W. Bush administration. Following his State Department tenure, he formed Capitol Media Partners, a political consultancy; he also was a Fox News contributor. Grenell was a foreign policy spokesperson for Mitt Romney during his 2012 presidential campaign.[1]
In September 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Grenell as the U.S. Ambassador to Germany. On April 26, 2018, he was confirmed by the United States Senate by a vote of 56 to 42.[2] Grenell presented his credentials to the President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, on May 8, 2018. His tenure in Germany was controversial and he was described as politically and diplomatically isolated due to his association with the far right and a perceived lack of professionalism.[3][4][5]
Trump named Grenell Acting Director of National Intelligence in February 2020; he relinquished the role in May 2020 upon the confirmation of John Ratcliffe to the post. Grenell expressed interest in running in the 2021 California gubernatorial recall election[6] but on July 15, 2021 – the day before the filing deadline – he appeared on The Sean Hannity Show to announce that he would not run as a replacement candidate.
- ^ Henderson, Nia-Malika; Blake, Aaron (April 24, 2012). "Mitt Romney adviser Richard Grenell faces backlash over tweets, sexual orientation". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ Blumberg, Antonia (April 26, 2018). "Senate Confirms Richard Grenell, Trump Nominee For Ambassador To Germany". Huffington Post. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Spiegelwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Trump's new acting intelligence chief likened to 'far-right colonial officer'". The Independent. February 20, 2020.
- ^ "German backlash over US envoy remarks". BBC News. June 4, 2018.
- ^ Siders, David; White, Jeremy B. (February 12, 2021). "Grenell lays groundwork for California gubernatorial run". Politico PRO. Retrieved February 18, 2021.