Breaking: Buzz Brewing Over Pete Hoekstra As President Trump's New Director Of National Intelligence

Hoekstra (Peter Dejong / AP)

By Brandon Hall
(Email Him At WestMIPolitics@Gmail.com)

Two of West Michigan's own are being prominently mentioned for top positions in President Trump's administration, Ambassador Pete Hoekstra for Director of National Intelligence, and Ambassador Richard Grenell as National Security Adviser. 

Hoekstra, from Holland, is currently the President's top diplomat in the Netherlands, while Grenell, from Jenison, is in Germany.

President Trump mentioned Hoekstra while talking with reporters about the DNI position a little over a month ago.

According to the Detroit News:

"President Donald Trump on Friday indicated that he's considering former Michigan congressman Pete Hoekstra among his possible picks to be the next director of national intelligence to succeed Dan Coats. Asked by a reporter about a replacement for Coats, Trump mentioned Hoekstra, former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee...

"I'm working together with Sen. Burr and the whole intelligence committee. I want to get someone that everybody can really come together with. I like Pete Hoekstra a lot. He's great. He's doing a fantastic job in the Netherlands right now." 

According to John Solomon, writing today in The Hill, Grenell should take over for the recently departed John Bolton, and Hoekstra should replace Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats.

"Trump has two candidates — both confirmed by the Senate to other jobs on his watch — who can rival Barr’s and Pompeo’s contributions by stepping into the vacant, critical roles of national security adviser (NSA) and director of national intelligence (DNI).

The first is Richard Grenell, the U.S. ambassador to Germany, who has shown remarkable competence in downsizing the once-giant European Union lioness Angela Merkel on the world stage and achieving numerous strategic wins for America from Berlin.

Almost immediately upon his arrival in Berlin, Grenell punched like a heavyweight when he finally got the reluctant Germans to extradite a 95-year-old Nazi labor camp guard who had sought safe haven in New York City for decades.

Multiple U.S. administrations had vowed to get the job done. Trump and Grenell were the ones who succeeded.

Grenell also:

• galled the Europeans to up the ante on their anemic NATO spending — a key strategic goal for Trump;
• persuaded the Germans to open new liquid natural gas facilities for U.S. exports;

• relentlessly pressured the Germans to resist a new Russian gas pipeline known as Nord Stream 2; and

• successfully forced the Germans to block an Iranian airline from servicing the country.

Like Grenell, another ambassador in Europe, former Congressman Peter Hoekstra, who is America’s top diplomat to the Netherlands, could help fill an essential void as the DNI.

Coats never really clicked with Trump and slow-walked important transparency opportunities that would have exposed problems with the Russia probe, including the declassification of important congressional interviews.

Hoekstra was respected by both parties as the former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, understands the intelligence community well and enjoys the president’s confidence. And he brings a commonsense Midwesterner’s approach to getting things done without the need for personal glory.

>>>Read The Full Piece HERE 

Stay tuned!

 _________________________________________________________________

Brandon Hall is a lifelong political nerd from Grand Haven, and is the Managing Editor of West Michigan Politics.

>>>Email him at WestMIPolitics@Gmail.com
Facebook
Twitter