US Director of National Intelligence to Step Down Soon

  29 July 2019    Read: 1751
US Director of National Intelligence to Step Down Soon

US director of national intelligence Dan Coats, who had several disagreements with US President Donald Trump over assessments involving Russia, Iran and North Korea, is reportedly expected to step down in the coming days, AzVision.az reports citing Sputniknews.

Coats, who is a former Republican representative and Indiana senator, has been director of national intelligence since the start of the Trump presidency in 2017. Previously he had also been the US ambassador to Germany. Coats publicly criticised the president’s relationship with Russian president Vladimir Putin and told a Senate panel he didn’t believe North Korea would give up nuclear arms despite Trump’s talks with Kim Jong-un.

Coats is to step down in the coming days, the New York Times reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter, with the US president considering US Representative John Ratcliffe as his replacement, another source told Reuters.

Ratcliffe has recently attracted attention, reportedly winning Trump’s approval when he supported Trump aggressively during former special counsel Robert Mueller’s hearings on Capitol Hill this week.

During the judiciary committee session, Ratcliffe said he agreed with House judiciary chair Nadler that Donald Trump is not above the law, adding: “but he damn sure should not be below the law, which is where volume two of this report puts him.”


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