Trump Mad That Democrats Got Spy Agency to Say Russia Favors Him
- Official told lawmakers Russia prefers Trump winning election
- President replaced acting spy chief after learning of briefing
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President Donald Trump felt blindsided when he learned belatedly that intelligence officials briefed House lawmakers that Russia is continuing to interfere in U.S. elections -- and that Democrats elicited their view that the Russians favor Trump’s re-election, according to people familiar with the situation.
Trump blamed Joseph Maguire, the acting director of national intelligence, for the episode and the failure to inform him. On Wednesday, the president announced that he was replacing Maguire, a veteran intelligence official, with Ric Grenell, the U.S. ambassador to Germany and a staunch Trump supporter.