The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Trump picks Texan for national intelligence chief
Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas, a third-term congressman and prominent supporter of President Donald Trump, has been nominated as the new Director of National Intelligence to replace Daniel Coats, whose departure was announced Sunday.
Who is he?
Ratcliffe has made his name in Congress as one of the GOP’s most vocal critics of perceived anti-Trump bias at the FBI and in special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. Ratcliffe, who was first elected to the House in 2014, sits on the powerful House Judiciary and Intelligence committees, both of which are investigating Trump for alleged financial crimes, foreign collusion and obstruction of justice. The president on Sunday tweeted that Ratcliffe “will lead and inspire greatness for the Country he loves” as the next director for national intelligence.
What’s notable
Ratcliffe has criticized members of the intelligence community who have been investigating Trump over the past two years.
Last week the congressman had one of the more memorable exchanges with former special counsel Mueller during public hearings, accusing him of violating “every principle in the most sacred of traditions” of prosecutors by writing “180 pages about decisions that weren’t reached, about potential crimes that weren’t charged or decided.”
What happens next?
Coats’ departure is set for Aug. 15, and Trump said he will name an acting official in the coming days. It is unclear whether Ratcliffe will be confirmed by the Senate. He has no background in intelligence, though he did serve as a terrorism prosecutor and U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Texas in the George W. Bush administration.
In his confirmation process, senators probably will ask Ratcliffe about his views on Iran, North Korea, Russia and other global hotspots. As a member of the House Intelligence Committee, Ratcliffe has access to classified intelligence reports and assessments that are often contrary to what the president says publicly. Members will grill him on whose analysis he believes is true: Trump’s or the intelligence community’s, congressional officials said.