Denmark to grill US envoy on Greenland spying report
The Trump administration ramped up spying on Greenland, says reporting by The Wall Street Journal


What happened
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said Wednesday he would summon the acting U.S. ambassador over a "somewhat disturbing" report in The Wall Street Journal that the Trump administration has told U.S. intelligence agencies to ramp up spying on Greenland, the semiautonomous Danish territory openly coveted by President Donald Trump. "It worries me greatly because we do not spy on friends," Rasmussen told reporters, and because the report "doesn't seem to be strongly rejected by those who speak out."
Who said what
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard's office last week sent a "collection emphasis message" to the CIA, NSA and other spy agencies directing them to collect intelligence about Greenland's independence movement and identify potential allies there and in Denmark who support Trump's objective of taking over the island, the Journal reported.
Gabbard did not deny the report but accused the Journal of "breaking the law" and "aiding deep state actors who seek to undermine" Trump and U.S. "security and democracy" by "politicizing and leaking classified information." Trump has repeatedly said he would acquire Greenland, by force if necessary. "I don't say I'm going to do it, but I don't rule out anything," he told NBC News in an interview aired Sunday. "We need Greenland very badly."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"What the hell's going on" with Trump's threats to take over Greenland and other allies? former President Joe Biden said in a BBC interview broadcast Wednesday. "What president ever talks like that? That's not who we are. We're about freedom, democracy, opportunity, not about confiscation."
What next?
The White House had hoped its solicitation would "capitalize on the resentment that many Greenlanders feel about Denmark’s colonial legacy," the Journal said Wednesday. "But for now, at least, this pressure from Washington has had an opposite effect," drawing Greenland and Denmark "closer together." Danish lawmaker Rasmus Jarlov suggested closing the U.S. consulate in Greenland, reopened in 2020 after a 60-year hiatus. "I cannot imagine that the Americans would allow foreign agents in the U.S. if they had an openly declared agenda of undermining the United States," he said.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
May 18 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons feature Donald Trump, Air Force One, and the Pope.
-
5 hilariously heavenly editorial cartoons about the newly elected pope
Cartoons Artists take on the angel and the devil, music choices at the Vatican, and more
-
Celebrating 60 years of the Pennine Way
The Week Recommends This beautiful long-distance path immerses walkers in the beautiful British countryside
-
Trump touts ambiguous 'deals' as Middle East trip wraps up
IN THE SPOTLIGHT The president's whirlwind regional tour concludes with glitz, bravado and an unclear list of concrete accomplishments
-
Supreme Court weighs court limits amid birthright ban
speed read President Trump's bid to abolish birthright citizenship has sparked questions among federal judges about blocking administration policies
-
Gabbard fires intelligence chiefs after Venezuela report
speed read Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has fired the top two officials leading the National Intelligence Council
-
Trump vows to lift Syria sanctions
speed read The move would help the new government stabilize the country following years of civil war
-
Senate rejects Trump's Library of Congress takeover
speed read Congress resisted the president's attempts to control 'the legislative branch's premier research body'
-
Will Republicans tax the rich?
Today's Big Question Trump is waffling on the possibility of taxing wealthy earners
-
'Haiti's crisis is a complex problem that defies solution'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Hamas frees US hostage in deal sidelining Israel
speed read Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old soldier, was the final living US citizen held by the militant group