President Donald Trump sidelined Joseph Maguire, the outgoing acting director of national intelligence, after learning a member of Maguire’s team had briefed House lawmakers that Russia was attempting to interfere in the 2020 elections to get Trump re-elected, according to multiple reports.
The briefing angered the president so much that he berated Maguire, leaving him “despondent,” a source told The Washington Post. Shelby Pierson, the intelligence official in charge of election security, briefed the full House Intelligence Committee last Thursday, although it’s unclear what information she shared.
Trump was particularly angry that Rep. Adam Schiff (Calif.) — a powerful Democrat and a key force behind the impeachment inquiry against him — was present and could use the information against him, although the panel’s Republican members were also there.
