Speaker Nancy Pelosi Nancy PelosiPelosi: Ginsburg successor must uphold commitment to 'equality, opportunity and justice for all' Bipartisan praise pours in after Ginsburg's death Pelosi orders Capitol flags at half-staff to honor Ginsburg MORE (D-Calif.) on Friday condemned President Trump Donald John TrumpObama calls on Senate not to fill Ginsburg's vacancy until after election Planned Parenthood: 'The fate of our rights' depends on Ginsburg replacement Progressive group to spend M in ad campaign on Supreme Court vacancy MORE's choice this week to tap Richard Grenell Richard GrenellA judge's Monsanto ruling affects both the law and the economy CNN's Tapper tried to talk GOP candidate out of running against Democratic incumbent: report Nobel prize committee's credibility is on the line MORE as the acting director of national intelligence, comparing his lack of experience to her being asked to perform brain surgery.

Trump designated Grenell, a fierce defender of the president who has served as U.S. ambassador to Germany since 2018, for the role following former acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Joseph Maguire Joseph MaguireCongressional Democrats request FBI briefing on foreign election interference efforts Wells Fargo told employees to delete TikTok from work phones Hillicon Valley: Pompeo floats TikTok ban | Civil rights groups slam Facebook after call | Election security funding included in proposal MORE's resignation this week.

Pelosi joined other Democrats in questioning Grenell's qualifications for the role, given that he has never served in a U.S. intelligence agency.

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"It would be like sending me in for brain surgery, to do brain surgery on somebody. What?! Just doesn’t know the territory. And it’s very important territory. So what the president did is dangerous," Pelosi said during a press conference in Houston.

Maguire's departure came after Trump reportedly was angered by lawmakers in both parties receiving a classified briefing last week about election security, including on the intelligence community's belief that Russia is already taking steps to again interfere in U.S. elections and to help him win.

The Washington Post reported Thursday that Trump decided against nominating Maguire to continue in his post on a permanent basis after learning that one of his staff members, Shelby Pierson, conducted the briefing on Capitol Hill and questioned his loyalty.

The New York Times reported shortly after that Trump was particularly irritated that House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff Adam Bennett SchiffTop Democrats call for DOJ watchdog to probe Barr over possible 2020 election influence Overnight Defense: Top admiral says 'no condition' where US should conduct nuclear test 'at this time' | Intelligence chief says Congress will get some in-person election security briefings Overnight Defense: House to vote on military justice bill spurred by Vanessa Guillén death | Biden courts veterans after Trump's military controversies MORE (D-Calif.), who led the recent House impeachment proceedings, was in the intelligence briefing. Trump complained that Schiff would "weaponize" the intelligence about Russia's support for his reelection in November.

The House Intelligence panel, on which Pelosi previously served, traditionally had a reputation for being nonpartisan, but that has evaporated in recent years.

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Pelosi defended the need for members of Congress to receive regular intelligence briefings from the administration.

"The administration are the custodians of the intelligence, but the intelligence belongs to the Congress of the United States as well. And we need to know what they know so that we can make our decisions," she said.

"So for the president to object to Congress getting that information — it's frankly not unusual, but that it is public is unusual, A, and B, for him therefore to oust the director of national intelligence and put somebody in with absolutely no credentials whatsoever for the job, for something that is very much a part of our national security, this is dangerous. This is dangerous to our country," she continued.

Grenell has confirmed that he is only serving in the role on a temporary basis. Trump tweeted on Friday that four candidates are under consideration for a permanent DNI replacement, and that he would make a decision within the "next few weeks."

The White House pointed to Grenell's previous positions as special envoy for Serbia-Kosovo negotiations and a U.S. spokesman to the United Nations as evidence of "years of experience working with our intelligence community."

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"He is committed to a non-political, non-partisan approach as head of the Intelligence Community, on which our safety and security depend," White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham Stephanie GrishamIvana Trump on Melania as first lady: 'She's very quiet, and she really doesn't go to too many places' The Hill's 12:30 Report: Trump uses White House as campaign backdrop Coronavirus tests not required for all Melania Trump speech attendees: report MORE said in a statement.

Pelosi announced Thursday night that lawmakers will receive a briefing on election security on March 10. Both House and Senate members will be briefed separately.

Lawmakers included an additional $425 million for election security in a government funding packaged that Trump signed into law in December.

Democrats have tried to go further in enhancing election security following Russia's interference in 2016.

The House has passed multiple bills to protect American elections from foreign interference, such as requiring candidates to notify the FBI if they receive offers of foreign assistance, mandating more transparency in political ads on social media platforms and requiring paper ballots in federal elections. But the GOP-controlled Senate has declined to take them up.