For her part, Ms. Sanner has been deeply involved in getting Ms. Haines fully briefed on the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s endeavors and on working on the White House’s requests for new intelligence assessments. But Ms. Sanner plans to “complete her tour in May,” said Amanda Schoch, the top spokeswoman for the office.
“Beth Sanner is an extraordinary professional intelligence officer who has served as the deputy director of national intelligence for mission integration with great distinction,” Ms. Schoch said.
For almost two years, Ms. Sanner, a career C.I.A. analyst, briefed Mr. Trump, an assignment in which she had to endure the president’s digressions, rants and conspiracy theories about the 2016 and 2020 elections. After serving for 20 months as the presidential briefer and top adviser to five directors of national intelligence, Ms. Sanner is ready for an end to her current assignment, according to an intelligence official who was not authorized to speak publicly.
Ms. Sanner could retire, but it is also possible she could be offered another senior intelligence post. Some presidential briefers have gone on to senior posts in the C.I.A., and others have led other intelligence agencies.
Ms. Sanner, like most intelligence officers would be, was uncomfortable with the media attention on her role during the Trump administration, something she told colleagues was not good for the intelligence community.
As Mr. Trump was under attack for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, he blamed Ms. Sanner, although not by name, for an intelligence briefing that he said underplayed the dangers of the virus, an account her defenders viewed very skeptically.
While all presidents are known to create bad days for senior intelligence officials, no presidential briefer has had a more challenging job than Ms. Sanner, according to intelligence officials. Until the final months before the election, when Mr. Trump turned frequently to his director of national intelligence, John Ratcliffe, for the briefings, Ms. Sanner held twice weekly sessions for the president.
