Texan won’t be next intelligence director
Ratcliffe elects to stay in Congress after Trump withdraws nomination amid criticism over pick
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe was on track to be President Donald Trump’s intelligence chief for all of five days before the Texan — facing a difficult confirmation fight and questions about his record as a federal prosecutor — decided he’d rather keep his seat in Congress.
Trump broke the news Friday that Ratcliffe, a Republican from Heath he had tapped Sunday to be director of national intelligence, no longer is his choice for the job.
It marked a swift end to the nomination of the three-term congressman, a fierce defender of the president and an early and vocal critic of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Some congressional critics had contended Ratcliffe possessed a thin resume for the national intelligence job, which has been held in the past by former diplomats, senior intelligence officials and military leaders. And several of the credentials Ratcliffe had touted turned out to be exaggerated, news reports scrutinizing his career showed.
“Our great Republican Congressman John Ratcliffe is being treated very unfairly by the Lame Stream Media,” Trump said on Twitter. “Rather than going through months of slander and libel, I explained to John how miserable it would be for him and his family to deal with these people.
“John has therefore decided to stay in Congress where he has done such an outstanding job representing the people of Texas, and our Country,” said Trump, who accepted the resignation of former Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats last week.
Ratcliffe’s decision to withdraw came a day after the Washington Post published a report questioning claims he’d made about his record as a federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of Texas from 2004 to 2008. In the final year, he served as acting U.S. attorney for the district.
The article focused on Ratcliffe’s claim on his congressional website that, as acting U.S. attorney, he “arrested over 300 illegal immigrants on a single day,” referring to a 2008 roundup of immi
grant workers at poultry plants.
The Post reported Ratcliffe played only a supporting role in that operation and that 45 workers were charged by prosecutors in his office. Six of those cases later were dismissed.
The congressman already had dialed back his earlier claims he had won convictions in a high-profile terrorism case, after the New York Times reported Ratcliffe had investigated side issues related to an earlier phase of the case and was not the prosecutor.
Ratcliffe likely would have faced an uphill battle to be confirmed.
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr, the North Carolina Republican who would have overseen Ratcliffe’s confirmation hearing, had cautioned the president’s advisers he considered the nominee too political for the post, the Times reported.
Both Texas senators, however, supported the pick. Sen. Ted Cruz called Ratcliffe a “strong choice” and Sen. John Cornyn said Republicans would have warmed to him.
Trump had tapped Ratcliffe for the job days after the congressman tore into Robert Mueller when the former special counsel testified before Congress about his investigation into Russian election meddling.
Ratcliffe accused Mueller of overstepping his authority by raising the possibility Trump had obstructed the inquiry. Trump, Ratcliffe said, is not above the law — “but he damn sure shouldn’t be below the law.”
“You wrote 180 pages — 180 pages — about decisions that weren’t reached, about potential crimes that weren’t charged or decided,” Ratcliffe told Mueller during the hearing. “And respectfully, respectfully, by doing that, you managed to violate every principle in the most sacred traditions about prosecutors not offering extra-prosecutorial analysis about potential crimes that aren’t charged.”
PolitiFact Texas found Ratcliffe’s claim that Mueller broke the rules to be false. Federal regulations require special prosecutors to explain their reasons when they decide not to prosecute.
“John Ratcliffe’s entire claim to fame was yelling at Robert Mueller for 15 minutes,” said Gilberto Hinojosa, chairman of the Texas Democratic Party, on Friday.
Ratcliffe said on Twitter he didn’t want his confirmation process to turn national security and intelligence matters into a “purely political and partisan issue.”
“I was humbled and honored that the President put his trust in me to lead our nation’s intelligence operations and remain convinced that when confirmed, I would have done so with the objectivity, fairness and integrity that our intelligence agencies need and deserve,” Ratcliffe said. “However, I do not wish for a national security and intelligence debate surrounding my confirmation, however untrue, to become a purely political and partisan issue. The country we all love deserves that it be treated as an American issue.”
Ratcliffe’s announcement means the Texas congressional delegation will lose one less Republican. Three Texas GOP representatives have announced plans to retire in recent weeks.