Grenell was US ambassador to Germany for two years.
(Photo: dpa)
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Berlin After a good two years in office, Richard Grenell resigned as US ambassador to Germany. The post was temporarily taken over by his deputy Robin Quinville, as embassy spokesman Joseph Giordono-Scholz said on Tuesday of the German Press Agency (dpa).
On Monday evening, Grenell had already announced his resignation in Washington while visiting President Donald Trump, the news agency reports.
What Grenell now intends to do is unclear. According to dpa, it is speculated that he could switch to Trump’s campaign team. Grenell is considered to be extremely loyal to Trump and always boasts good connections to the White House. over Twitter he likes to send pictures with the president in Air Force One or to tell him that he just spoke to him on the phone.
A few days ago, dpa had already announced that the 53-year-old would also vacate his post as ambassador in Berlin after his replacement as secretary coordinator of the US government. Grenell’s spokeswoman denied the report at this point.
Grenell was surprisingly summoned by Trump to Washington in February to temporarily take over the post of secret service coordinator. In the meantime, however, a new, permanent coordinator has been found: A few days ago, Congressman John Ratcliffe was sworn in by the Senate.
Criticism via Twitter
Already when he was called to Washington in February, there had been reports that Grenell was planning to retire as Berlin ambassador. The 53-year-old has been stationed in Germany since 2018 and teased like none of his predecessors.
He repeatedly criticized German politics, such as the defense expenditure he considered too low, the construction of the “Nord Stream 2” oil pipeline or the question of whether the Chinese company Huawei should be involved in the development of the 5G network.
He mostly sent his criticism via Twitter, which broke Grenell’s unwritten law to conduct diplomatic disputes behind closed doors. Bundestag Vice President Wolfgang Kubicki even demanded Grenell’s expulsion. Grenell is acting “like a high commissioner of an occupying power”.
More: Trump threatens military action – curfews in Washington and New York.
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