Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats speaks at a Senate Select Committee on Intelligence hearing on worldwide threats, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018, in Washington.
- The New York Times reports that Dan Coats, President Donald Trump's Director of National Intelligence, is expected to step down in the coming days.
- Representative John Ratcliffe from Texas, who is vocal supporter of Trump, is the likely replacement pick, but a person close to the matter told The New York Times that a final decision has not yet been made.
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The New York Times reported Sunday that Dan Coats, the Director of National Intelligence for President Donald Trump's administration, is expected to step down in the coming days.
Coats' replacement is likely going to be Representative John Ratcliffe from Texas, an ally of Trump who has vocally been supportive of the president. Sources who are close to the matter told the Times that the final decision has not been made yet.
Axios first reported that Ratcliffe was a strong contender after his stern condemnation of special counsel Robert Mueller during last week's hearing on his investigation into the Trump campaign's connection to the Russian government.
Sources told the Times that Coats spent his time as director at odds with Trump over issues that include Russian affairs and meddling in US elections, along with the Mueller investigation and Trump's own personal attacks on members of the US intelligence community.
Coats has been critical of Trump's close interactions with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the past, which has been reported to be a major factor leading to Trump discussing replacing Coats. The Times also specified that a 2018 meeting between Trump and Putin after Coats' intelligence community's conclusions suggested that the Russian government interfered in the US 2016 presidential election displeased the director.
These issues and more impacted both Coats' relationship with Trump and his decision to step down, the Times reported. The exact day he will announce his stepping down, along with the day he will officially vacate his position, are both currently unknown.
Previously, Politico reported that Trump was considering replacing Coats with former CIA analyst and leader of far-right think tank Center for Security Policy Fred Fleitz.