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August 5, 2019

Trump Drops Plan to Nominate Rep. Ratcliffe for Nat'l Intel. Dir. After Questions over Qualifications
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Trump said Friday he will not nominate Texas Congressmember John
Ratcliffe to replace Dan Coats as director of national intelligence.
Trump blamed the "Lame Stream media" for treating Ratcliffe unfairly as
reports emerged over the past week of bipartisan concerns over his
qualifications for the role, namely that he exaggerated his
accomplishments as a former federal prosecutor in East Texas, claiming
he had lots of experience jailing terrorists and helping form George W.
Bush's counterterrorism policy. According to former co-workers, there
were no major national security prosecutions during his tenure.

Meanwhile, Trump is reportedly planning to block Deputy Director of
National Intelligence Sue Gordon from becoming acting director when Dan
Coats steps down later this month, possibly by ousting her from her
current position. Critics say the move would fall within the
administration's pattern of prioritizing political picks over career
staffers.


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