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Joseph Maguire (born August 14, 1951) is an American officer who served as Director of the
National Counterterrorism Center The National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) is a United States government organization responsible for national and international counterterrorism efforts. It is based in Liberty Crossing, a modern complex near Tysons Corner in McLean, Virgin ...
and Acting
Director of National Intelligence The director of national intelligence (DNI) is a senior, cabinet-level United States government official, required by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to serve as executive head of the United States Intelligence Commu ...
under President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
. He retired from the United States Navy as a vice admiral in 2010 after 36 years of military service. Prior to retiring from active duty, he was the deputy director for strategic operational planning at
National Counterterrorism Center The National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) is a United States government organization responsible for national and international counterterrorism efforts. It is based in Liberty Crossing, a modern complex near Tysons Corner in McLean, Virgin ...
(NCTC). Appointed by President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
, Maguire became Acting
Director of National Intelligence The director of national intelligence (DNI) is a senior, cabinet-level United States government official, required by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to serve as executive head of the United States Intelligence Commu ...
on August 16, 2019, a role he held during the
Trump–Ukraine scandal The "Trump–Ukraine scandal" refers to efforts by U.S. President Donald Trump to coerce Ukraine and other countries into providing damaging narratives about 2020 Democratic Party presidential candidate Joe Biden, and giving misinformati ...
. On September 13, 2019, the
House Intelligence Committee The United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), also known as the House Intelligence Committee, is a committee of the United States House of Representatives, currently chaired by Adam Schiff. It is the primary commit ...
issued a subpoena to Maguire alleging that he was unlawfully withholding a whistleblower complaint from the committee; he testified before the committee on September 26.


Early life

Maguire is from
Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, beh ...
. He graduated from
Manhattan College Manhattan College is a private university, private, Catholic Church, Catholic, Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts university in the Bronx, New York City. Originally established in 1853 by the Institute of the Brothers of ...
with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1974.


Naval career

Maguire joined the Navy in November 1974 and spent his career as a Naval Special Warfare Officer. His first sea duty tour assignment was aboard USS ''Coronado''. Maguire then received orders to Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training (BUD/S) at
Naval Amphibious Base Coronado Naval Amphibious Base Coronado (NAB Coronado) is a US naval installation located across the bay from San Diego, California. The base, situated on the Silver Strand, between San Diego Bay and the Pacific Ocean, is a major Navy shore command, su ...
. After six months of training, Maguire graduated with BUD/S class 93 in July 1977 despite having a broken leg. His first operational assignment was with Underwater Demolition Team TWENTY ONE and received the 1130 designator as a Naval Special Warfare Officer, entitled to wear the
Special Warfare Insignia The Special Warfare insignia, also known as the "SEAL Trident" or its popular nickname in the Navy community, "The Budweiser", recognizes those members of the United States Navy who have completed the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL ( BUD/S) tra ...
. From 1979 to 1981, Maguire was the Flag Lieutenant to Commander Amphibious Forces
Seventh Fleet The Seventh Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy. It is headquartered at U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is part of the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of t ...
(CTF 76). Maguire served with SEAL Team TWO from January 1982 to July 1983 and completed a deployment to Europe with Naval Special Warfare Unit TWO. Maguire attended
Naval Postgraduate School The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) is a public graduate school operated by the United States Navy and located in Monterey, California. It offers master’s and doctoral degrees in more than 70 fields of study to the U.S. Armed Forces, DOD ci ...
in Monterey, California and graduated with a master's degree in Scientific and Technical Intelligence in 1985. His staff tours include operations officer, Naval Special Warfare Group TWO from Apr 1985 to January 1987; executive officer, SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team TWO from February 1987 to March 1988; Naval Special Warfare's Assignment Officer and Community Manager,
Bureau of Naval Personnel The Bureau of Naval Personnel (BUPERS) in the United States Department of the Navy is similar to the human resources department of a corporation. The bureau provides administrative leadership and policy planning for the Office of the Chief of Na ...
, Washington, D.C. from 1989 to 1991; Chief Staff Officer,
Naval Special Warfare Development Group The Naval Special Warfare Development Group (NSWDG), abbreviated as DEVGRU ("Development Group") and commonly known as SEAL Team Six, is the United States Navy component of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). The unit is often referre ...
from March 1991 to December 1992. He then served as Commanding Officer, SEAL Team TWO from December 1992 to 1994. He was a 1994–95 National Security Fellow at
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
. He was Commanding Officer,
Naval Special Warfare Center The Phil Bucklew Naval Special Warfare Center (NSWC, also known as "The Center") is a component command of the United States Naval Special Warfare Command, United States Navy. It is sited within Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, California. The N ...
from 1997 to 1999 and then Deputy Commander, Naval Special Warfare Command from October 1999 to July 2001. From 2004 to 2007, Maguire served as Commander, Naval Special Warfare Command. From 2007 until 2010, he was the
National Counterterrorism Center The National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) is a United States government organization responsible for national and international counterterrorism efforts. It is based in Liberty Crossing, a modern complex near Tysons Corner in McLean, Virgin ...
's deputy director for strategic operational planning. He retired from the Navy in 2010 with the rank of Vice Admiral.


Private civilian career

After he retired, Maguire went to work as a vice president of
Booz Allen Hamilton Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation (informally Booz Allen) is the parent of Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., an American management and information technology consulting firm, headquartered in McLean, Virginia, in Greater Washington, D.C., with 8 ...
. Maguire served for three years on the board of the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, a foundation which provides financial assistance to severely wounded special operations troops as well as support for the children of those troops who have died. He then became the President and Chief Executive Officer of the foundation in 2013.


Government career

In June 2018, Maguire was nominated to be the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center by President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
. This nomination was confirmed by the
U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and power ...
in December 2018. He was sworn in on December 27, 2018.


Acting Director of National Intelligence

On August 8, 2019, President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
announced that Maguire would become acting
Director of National Intelligence The director of national intelligence (DNI) is a senior, cabinet-level United States government official, required by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to serve as executive head of the United States Intelligence Commu ...
(acting DNI) on August 15, 2019. Maguire's designation as acting DNI occurred after the previous director,
Dan Coats Daniel Ray Coats (born May 16, 1943) is an American politician, attorney, and former diplomat. From 2017 to 2019, he served as the Director of National Intelligence in the Trump administration. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a ...
, resigned from office, and after Trump refused to permit the deputy director, Susan M. Gordon, to become acting DNI. In February 2020 Trump rebuked Maguire when he heard that one of Maguire's subordinates, an expert on election security, had briefed members of House Intelligence Committee on Russian preference involvement in the 2020 election. Members of the committee were told Russia appeared to prefer Trump over Democratic candidates and could seek to act on that preference as they had done in 2016 election to boost his candidacy. Trump then announced he would be replacing Maguire, who resigned on February 21, 2020, and was immediately replaced with
Richard Grenell Richard Allen Grenell (born September 18, 1966) is an American political operative, diplomat, TV personality, and public relations consultant who served as Acting Director of National Intelligence in President Donald Trump’s Cabinet in 2020 ...
as acting chief. Reactions of concern were published quickly by former military and intelligence professionals such as
William McRaven William Harry McRaven (born November 6, 1955) is a retired United States Navy four-star admiral who served as the ninth commander of the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) from August 8, 2011 to August 28, 2014. From 2015 to 2018, ...
.


Ukraine whistleblower complaint

Maguire was acting DNI at the time that a member of the
United States Intelligence Community United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...
(IC) submitted a formal
whistleblower A whistleblower (also written as whistle-blower or whistle blower) is a person, often an employee, who reveals information about activity within a private or public organization that is deemed illegal, immoral, illicit, unsafe or fraudulent. Whi ...
complaint to the
Inspector General of the Intelligence Community The Inspector General Act of 1978 is a United States federal law that created Inspectors General for federal agencies and provides broad authorities for overseeing programs, promoting efficiencies, and detecting fraud, waste, and mismanagement ...
(IGIC), regarding President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
's communications with a foreign leader; the complaint said Trump had made a troubling "promise" to the foreign leader. (It was subsequently revealed that the complaint related to a July 2019 phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelensky Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy, ; russian: Владимир Александрович Зеленский, Vladimir Aleksandrovich Zelenskyy, (born 25 January 1978; also transliterated as Zelensky or Zelenskiy) is a Ukrainian politicia ...
, in which Trump pressed the Ukrainian government to investigate Trump's political rival, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., and his family). The whistleblower's complaint was deemed credible and a matter of "urgent concern" by the
Inspector General of the Intelligence Community The Inspector General Act of 1978 is a United States federal law that created Inspectors General for federal agencies and provides broad authorities for overseeing programs, promoting efficiencies, and detecting fraud, waste, and mismanagement ...
(IGIC). Under federal law, when the IGIC determines that a complaint credibly raises an urgent concern, he or she forwards it to the relevant agency head (here, the DNI), who is required to forward it to the congressional intelligence committees within seven days. In this case, however, Maguire, withheld the complaint from Congress. Maguire's refusal prompted the House committee to issue a subpoena to Maguire, ordering him to either immediately hand over the whistleblower's complaint to Congress or give testimony to the House Intelligence Committee explaining why he was refusing to do so. Schiff accused Maguire of illegally withholding a properly submitted whistleblower complaint in an unprecedented way, and said that the matter raised "serious concerns about whether White House, Department of Justice or other executive branch officials are trying to prevent a legitimate whistleblower complaint from reaching its intended recipient, the Congress, in order to cover up serious misconduct." Schiff said Maguire has cited a "higher authority, someone above the DNI" in his refusal to turn over the whistleblower complaint. According to a report in ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nat ...
'', Maguire threatened to resign as acting DNI over concerns that the
Trump administration Donald Trump's tenure as the 45th president of the United States began with his inauguration on January 20, 2017, and ended on January 20, 2021. Trump, a Republican from New York City, took office following his Electoral College victory ...
might attempt to constrain his testimony to Congress over the intelligence whistleblower's complaint. The report said Maguire had "expressed his displeasure to White House counsel Pat Cipollone and others that the White House had put him in the untenable position of denying the material to Congress over a claim that it did not fall within his jurisdiction as leader of the intelligence community". In a statement, Maguire denied that he had contemplated resigning saying, "At no time have I considered resigning my position since assuming this role." Maguire initially refused to testify before the House Intelligence Committee at a hearing on September 19, but later agreed to give testimony on the whistleblower complaint in an open session of the House Intelligence Committee on September 26. It was unclear whether Maguire had "forced the White House to acquiesce and allow him to testify without constraint". In a statement, Maguire said he had followed the law "every step of the way... ascommitted to protecting whistleblowers and ensuring every complaint is handled appropriately... nd aimed towork with the Administration and Congress to find a resolution regarding this important matter".


Personal

Maguire and his wife have two children.


Awards and decorations


Image gallery

File:Joseph Maguire.JPG, Maguire delivering a speech in June 2006 File:US_Navy_071023-N-5319A-012_Vice_Adm._Joseph_Maguire%2C_National_Counterterrorism_Center%27s_Deputy_Director_for_Strategic_Operational_Planning%2C_delivers_his_remarks_during_a_Medal_of_Honor_Flag_ceremony.jpg, Vice Admiral Joe Maguire, Deputy Director for Strategic Operational Planning, National Counterterrorism Center, in Navy service blues


References


External links


United States Navy Biography
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maguire, Joseph 1951 births Booz Allen Hamilton people Harvard University staff Living people Manhattan College alumni Naval Postgraduate School alumni People from Brooklyn Trump administration cabinet members United States Directors of National Intelligence United States Naval Special Warfare Command United States Navy admirals United States Navy SEALs personnel Recipients of the Meritorious Service Medal (United States) Recipients of the Humanitarian Service Medal