In a tweet Sunday, Ric Grenell
confirmed reporting that he plans to step down as U.S. ambassador to
Germany.
“True,” Grenell, 53, responded to a
Politico story.
The news comes after Grenell ends a
stint as acting director of the Office of the Director of National
Intelligence (DNI). The U.S. Senate last week confirmed
Representative John Ratcliffe, a Republican from Texas, to the DNI
post.
Grenell became the first openly gay
person to hold a cabinet position when President Donald Trump named
him acting DNI in February.
(Related: Richard
Grenell says being gay has made him a better Christian.)
Grenell began his ambassadorship in May
2018.
According to the Daily Wire,
Grenell had informed the White House that he did not want to return
to Germany following his brief time in the DNI post.
During his time as the nation's top spy
chief, Grenell declassified information about Obama administration
officials who were behind the “unmasking” of Michael Flynn,
Trump's former national security adviser who pleaded guilty to lying
to the FBI. During an interview with Sinclair Broadcasting aired on
Sunday, Trump described Grenell as a “superstar.” “What Richard
Grenell has done for this country is incredible,” Trump said, a
possible reference to the Flynn “unmasking” and what Trump has
called “Obamagate.”