Richard Grenell confirms he will step down as ambassador to Germany

Richard Grenell confirmed on Sunday that he would be leaving his post as ambassador to Germany around the same time he concludes his work as the acting director of national intelligence.

German media reported his coming departure over the weekend, though Grenell said two months ago this was his plan.

"True," he said in response to a tweet from a Daily Wire reporter who said Grenell told him in March this was the plan after President Trump renominated Rep. John Ratcliffe to be his nominee for director of national intelligence.

Ratcliffe was confirmed by the Senate on Thursday and is expected to enter office next week.

Since May 2018, Grenell has been in his post as the ambassador to Germany, where he has been a staunch advocate for Trump's foreign policy priorities. While he spent the past couple of days thanking supporters who praised him for his service, Grenell also responded to at least one diplomat who celebrated the news of his impending exit.

Andreas Nick, the head of the German Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, said on Monday that Grenell was acting as though he was "representing a hostile power."

"For a generation, each and every US Ambassador I got to know personally - career dipomat [SIC] or political appointee alike - used to leave his post as a highly respected figure and trusted friend of Germany. Now someone leaves issuing threats as if he were representing a hostile power," Nick wrote.

Grenell responded by claiming Nick wanted him to stop demanding that Germany pay more into NATO. He also said Nick wanted the United States to cease its opposition to Germany's deal with Russia to construct the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to transport Russian oil.

"You always wanted me to stop asking you publicly to pay your NATO obligations and calling for an end to Nord Stream 2," Grenell wrote. "But these are US policies. And I work for the American people."