Grenell, Nunes Among Weekend Appointments for Trump’s 2nd Term

Trump announced a series of appointments of former Trump administration officials on Saturday night.

(Left) U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) testifies during a Republican-led forum on the origins of the COVID-19 virus at the U.S. Capitol on June 29, 2021. (Right) Former US acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell speaks during the third day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on July 17, 2024. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images; Andrew Caballero-Reynolds

President-elect Donald Trump has appointed trusted former Trump administration official Richard Grenell to be the presidential envoy for special missions for his incoming administration.

The special missions position is typically reserved for a trusted individual who is closely aligned with the president’s agenda to advance narrowly focused policies.

“I am pleased to announce Richard Allen Grenell as our Presidential Envoy for Special Missions,” Trump said on his Truth Social social media platform on Dec. 14. “Ric will work in some of the hottest spots around the World, including Venezuela and North Korea,” the incoming president said of his plans for Grenell.

In the first Trump administration, Grenell served as U.S. ambassador to Germany, where he was instrumental in securing German commitments for increased defense and NATO spending and revisiting policies for energy security in the region amid Germany’s reliance on Russian energy.

He was then tapped by Trump to serve as acting director of national intelligence, becoming the first openly gay person to hold a Cabinet-level position in U.S. history, which Grenell said he did not want to be the focus of his appointment.

“I’ve made it clear that I am not asking for special treatment or special rights—just equal access and consideration. It is important to me that I not be defined by my sexual orientation—I want to be defined by my experience and skills,” he said at the time.

Grenell’s self-introduction on social media platform X reads: “I’m stronger after cancer. My dog runs my life. Imperfect follower of Christ.”

He moved on from the role overseeing U.S. spy agencies after Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, previously a Republican U.S. representative from Texas, was confirmed by the Senate on May 26, 2020.

Grenell then served as presidential envoy for the Kosovo–Serbia peace negotiations, where he successfully facilitated economic normalization agreements between the two nations amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.

Trump touted Grenell’s experience during the Bush administration at the U.N. Security Council, where he worked on issues such as North Korea.

“Ric will continue to fight for Peace through Strength, and always put America First,” Trump stated.

Grenell thanked Trump on X for the appointment, writing: “Working on behalf of the American people for [President Trump] is an honor of a lifetime. President Trump is a problem solver who keeps Americans safe and prosperous. We have so much to do. Let’s get to work.”

Charles Moran, president of the Log Cabin Republicans, the largest GOP organization dedicated to representing LGBT conservatives and allies, said of Grenell’s appointment: “There is no better person than my friend [Richard Grenell] to serve as [Trump’s] Special Envoy. Being the point-person for the biggest challenges that face America abroad is a monumental task, and Ric will be able to directly convey President Trump’s voice into the most dangerous places where our leadership is most desperately needed. So thankful for this critical appointment of a phenomenal man.”

Moran also praised Trump’s Dec. 14 appointment of Log Cabin Republican Bill White.

“We are thrilled for the news that our friend, steadfast supporter, and Trump Unity Co-Chair [Bill White] has been appointed by [Trump] to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium.”

Trump said he tapped White for the position because the businessman, philanthropist, author, and advocate has “worked tirelessly to support Great American Patriots who have given everything for our Country by raising over $1.5 Billion Dollars for our fallen heroes, catastrophically wounded, and severely burned Service Members,” alongside his contributions to the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy.

The position requires Senate confirmation.

Nunes to Form Intelligence Advisory Board

Then-ranking member of the U.S. House Intelligence Committee Devin Nunes on his family’s farm in San Joaquin Valley, Calif., on Sept. 2, 2020. Brendon Fallon/The Epoch Times

Trump also announced in his series of appointment posts on the evening of Dec. 14 that he is appointing former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and Truth Social CEO Devin Nunes as chairman of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board (PIAB), which will include leaders from the private sector to advise the president on issues impacting the effectiveness of the nation’s intelligence community.

“Devin will draw on his experience as former Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, and his key role in exposing the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, to provide me with independent assessments of the effectiveness and propriety of the U.S. Intelligence Community’s activities,” Trump stated. “Congratulations Devin!”

During his first term, Trump was slow to form a PIAB. He didn’t start naming members, such as Cerberus Capital Management CEO Stephen Feinberg, until 2018, and the board did not become fully operational until later in his presidency in 2020.

Trump attempted to form a similar advisory group for managing the U.S. economy, consisting of prominent business leaders to provide him with nonpartisan, business-centric perspectives to help shape U.S. economic policy. Elon Musk joined the group, dubbed the Strategic and Policy Forum, but resigned on June 1, 2017, when Trump announced that he was withdrawing the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement. Jeff Bezos and Jamie Dimon were also on the board.

The group dissolved in August 2017 following a wave of resignations after the Charlottesville, Virginia, rally and false reports that Trump was allegedly calling neo-Nazis “fine people.”

Trump also named Troy Edgar as deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and Edward Sharp Walsh as U.S. Ambassador to Ireland—both positions that will require Senate confirmation.

Trump said Edgar, an IBM executive, was instrumental during the first Trump administration in ensuring that there was funding for border wall construction and that he backed critical immigration policy in his role as chief financial officer and associate deputy undersecretary of management for the Department of Homeland Security.

The president-elect touted Walsh, president of the construction and real estate firm the Walsh Company, as a great local philanthropist who is well equipped to represent the United States in Ireland.