President Trump is renominating Texas Rep. John Ratcliffe to become the next director of national intelligence.
“I am pleased to announce the nomination of @RepRatcliffe (Congressman John Ratcliffe) to be Director of National Intelligence (DNI),” the president tweeted on Friday. “Would have completed process earlier, but John wanted to wait until after IG Report was finished. John is an outstanding man of great talent!”
I am pleased to announce the nomination of @RepRatcliffe (Congressman John Ratcliffe) to be Director of National Intelligence (DNI). Would have completed process earlier, but John wanted to wait until after IG Report was finished. John is an outstanding man of great talent!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 28, 2020
Trump had previously nominated the Texas Republican to replace Dan Coats as the director last summer, but Ratcliffe was forced to withdraw, blaming what he described as a partisan nomination process after senators, including Republicans, questioned his credentials. He was also accused of overstating his professional record regarding the prosecution of Hamas terrorists.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who at the time said the congressman was only qualified because he was “blindly loyal” to the president, also sounded off on his renomination in a statement later on Friday.
“Replacing one highly partisan operative with another does nothing to keep our country safe. At a time when the Russians are interfering in our elections, we need a nonpartisan leader at the helm of the Intelligence Community who sees the world objectively and speaks truth to power, and unfortunately neither Acting Director Grenell nor Rep. Ratcliffe comes even close to that,” he wrote.
“With this nomination, President Trump has shown once again his lack of respect for the rule of law and the intelligence community. Republicans must join Democrats in swiftly rejecting the nomination of Mr. Ratcliffe,” the New York Democrat added.
The Texas congressman was first elected in 2014 and sits on both the Judiciary and Homeland Security committees in the House. He is an ardent defender of the president, which was reflected throughout the House impeachment process and in his questioning of then-special counsel Robert Mueller.
Trump previously appointed Richard Grenell, the U.S. ambassador to Germany, as the acting director of national intelligence, but he acknowledged he would not permanently be in the position.
