It's official. Republican Congressman John Ratcliffe has been sworn in as the Director of National Intelligence after a four-month, highly successful stint by Acting DNI Richard Grenell.
During questioning at the White House Tuesday afternoon, Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany weighed in on what Grenell may do next.
"Has the president decided what's next for Ric Grenell in terms of employment?" a reporter asked.
"He hasn't but Ric Grenell is a very valued member of this administration. He's done extraordinary work at ODNI. He has a great history. We'll see where he goes next, but just know Ric Grenell has done an excellent job in that position. I expect John Ratcliffe will as he takes over," McEnany said.
She also weighed in on President Trump's push for FISA reform and transparency in the intelligence agencies.
"It's very personal to the president when it comes to FISA. This is an important tool in the Intelligence Community, he knows that, but he also knows that it was used and abused and politicized. The fact that you had 29 individuals...unmasking dozens of times, using these tools that are so much power to spy on an American citizen, to listen to their phone calls, to unmask their names," she said. "We have a Fourth Amendment in this country, it protects the rights of Americans but their rights were not protected when it came to President Trump and his administration and Michael Flynn whose name was leaked in a criminal fashion to the press. FISA was not used appropriately when a dossier full of lies that was 'salacious and unverified' in the words of James Comey, was used as the basis to get a FISA warrant and attested to as if it were truthful and a reason to spy on Carter Page."
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"These tools were used and abused. The Fourth Amendment rights of several Americans were violated. A political campaign was spied upon so any FISA concerns this president has are real, they are personal and they should be considered as we move forward to reauthorize this valuable tool," McEnany continued.
A number of lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including Republican Senators Lindsey Graham and Rand Paul, have called for FISA to be eliminated or severely reformed.
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