Trump’s Special Envoy Richard Grenell Was Once Subject of Leak Probe
The former ambassador to Germany was investigated by the State Department’s internal watchdog in 2020 over the unauthorized disclosure of a “sensitive but unclassified” cable. It’s exactly the type of leak the Trump administration has recently cracked down on.
Richard Grenell listens during a news conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Friday, Sept. 4, 2020.
Photographer: Chris Kleponis/PolarisFOIA Files is back! I hope everyone had a relaxing spring break and a joyful Passover and Easter. I spun records by Joe McPhee, Albert Ayler and Paul Bley and totally zoned out on free jazz. Speaking of records, I recently obtained a stack of another variety. These came from the State Department’s Office of Inspector General, and include final reports of investigation related to waste, fraud and abuse. Buried deep in the more than 500 pages of documents, which I requested in 2022, two reports stood out. One is about a leak investigation involving then-Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell (now President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy for Special Missions of the United States and interim director of the Kennedy Center). The other is about former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s speechwriter, who apparently had a voracious appetite for Wi-Fi while traveling on Air Force Two. If you’re not already getting FOIA Files in your inbox, sign up here.
Grenell is a prolific poster on X. In 2016, when the social media platform was known as Twitter, he described Trump as “dangerous” and “reckless.” After Trump won the presidential election, Grenell deleted his tweets and became one of the president’s most trusted confidantes and defenders. That loyalty was rewarded when Grenell was nominated ambassador to Germany in September 2017.