Who is Richard Grenell?

Richard Grenell, recently appointed by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump as special envoy for missions, has become a subject of debate on Pakistani social media after a local TV channel labeled him a “homosexual,” sparking accusations of a homophobic campaign against the former U.S. intelligence chief.

A day after his appointment, Grenell shared a news article from the Pakistani channel about his new role and expressed his support for Imran Khan’s freedom, tweeting, “I’ll say it again. Free Imran Khan.”

On November 26, Grenell tweeted, “Released Imran Khan!” as his party held protests in Islamabad calling for the former prime minister’s release from prison. In a follow-up post, he wrote, “Watch Pakistan. Their Trump-like leader is in prison on phony charges … Stop the political prosecutions around the world!” He continued to show his support for Khan in a post on Tuesday morning.

Meanwhile, Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif dismissed Grenell’s comments, stating that the government did not expect them to have any significant consequences.

Khan has been incarcerated since August 2023, facing charges that he claims are fabricated by the government and military to sideline him politically.

Who is Richard Grenell?

Richard Allen Grenell is an American political operative, diplomat, and public relations consultant. He served as acting director of national intelligence (DNI) under President Donald Trump in 2020. A member of the Republican Party, Grenell was the U.S. ambassador to Germany from 2018 to 2020 and served as special presidential envoy for Serbia and Kosovo peace negotiations from 2019 to 2021.

Grenell also worked as a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department at the United Nations during the George W. Bush administration.

In September 2017, Trump nominated Grenell to be the U.S. ambassador to Germany. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on April 26, 2018, with a vote of 56 to 42.