[2] Prior to retiring from active duty, he was the deputy director for strategic operational planning at National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC).

[3] Appointed by President Donald Trump, Maguire became Acting Director of National Intelligence on August 16, 2019,[4] a role he held during the Trump–Ukraine scandal.

[1][9] Maguire served with SEAL Team Two from January 1982 to July 1983 and completed a deployment to Europe with Naval Special Warfare Unit Two.

Maguire attended Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California and graduated with a master's degree in Scientific and Technical Intelligence in 1985.

[10] In June 2018, Maguire was nominated to be the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center by President Donald Trump.

[17] Maguire was acting DNI at the time that a member of the United States Intelligence Community (IC) submitted a formal whistleblower complaint to the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community (IGIC), regarding President Donald Trump's communications with a foreign leader; the complaint said Trump had made a troubling "promise" to the foreign leader.

[19] The whistleblower's complaint was deemed credible and a matter of "urgent concern" by the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community (IGIC).

[23] Schiff accused Maguire of illegally withholding a properly submitted whistleblower complaint in an unprecedented way, and said that the matter raised "serious concerns about whether White House, Department of Justice or other executive branch officials are trying to prevent a legitimate whistleblower complaint from reaching its intended recipient, the Congress, in order to cover up serious misconduct.

[6] According to a report in The Washington Post, Maguire threatened to resign as acting DNI over concerns that the Trump administration might attempt to constrain his testimony to Congress over the intelligence whistleblower's complaint.

[14] In a statement, Maguire said he had followed the law "every step of the way ... [was] committed to protecting whistleblowers and ensuring every complaint is handled appropriately ... [and aimed to] work with the Administration and Congress to find a resolution regarding this important matter".