Posted on 01/05/2017 2:50:26 PM PST by SeekAndFind
President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday picked former Indiana Senator Dan Coats as director of national intelligence, two sources briefed on the decision told Fox News.
The official announcement is expected later this week, according to the AP, as Trump makes final decisions on some of the major positions he needs to fill before he is sworn in on Jan. 20.
Coats, a Republican, served as a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee before retiring from Congress last year. He also served as U.S. ambassador to Germany.
As director of national intelligence, Coats would oversee an office created after 9/11 to improve coordination of U.S. spy and law enforcement agencies.
Coats is very much beloved in the Senate, a source told Fox News, and is considered to be an interesting balance to some of the other personalities such as Gen. Michael Flynn and Rep. Mike Pompeo.
The senator was banned from visiting Russia back in late 2014 for his participation to punish Russia because of Moscow’s move to annex the Crimea region of Ukraine, which he seemed to enjoy at the time.
“While I’m disappointed that I won’t be able to go on vacation with my family in Siberia this summer, I am honored to be on this list,” he said after Russia’s announcement, according to The Indy Star.
The choice comes amid Trump's questioning of the U.S. intelligence community's assessments that Russia interfered with the election on his behalf, and one day before the president-elect is briefed by senior intelligence officials on the Russian hacking allegations.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Having spent most of my Army years in the intel field, I’d rather see the entire DNI organization eliminated. However, I think we can trust Dan Coates to do a honest job. His biggest chore should be getting the politicos out of the intel field.
You're out of your mind. Pence is an outstanding pick for VP. He was exactly the type of guy Trump needed.
What brilliant selections. Absolutely stellar!
He’s a retired Senator and his main job will be testifying to hostile Senate Committees. The pick makes sense.
Think I’ll wait for an official announcement from the President elect. We’ve had this dance a couple of other times; Cathy McMorris-Rogers comes to mind. Sometimes I wonder if the Trump team leaks these as a way of gauging how their base reacts. At least in the case of McMorris-Rogers, when the backlash was immediate and became pretty vocal, it was suddenly revealed that she was never in consideration.
At least I hope this is the case, because I don’t like this pick...at all.
And, unlike you, all harsh critics of KGB/FSB Putin.
Pence is clearly steering Trump toward Ryan/Priebus GOPe guys.
He is very, very close to Ryan.
I thought that name was on my RINO list. Hmmmm....these RINO’s better toe the line, under Trump.
I noticed my RINO Senator, Cornyn, was standing behind VP-elect Pence, the other day. He made sure to NOT disparage Trump, during the campaign (unlike my other disappointing Senator cRuz)...so...he’s moving up on the pedestal :)
I have scant knowledge of Coats, either, and should stop with that. But, must say he never set the world on fire, neither for good nor for ill, and in recent years he really produces mostly a yawn. Coats doesn’t really sound like the type for Intelligence, but maybe his harmlessness, makes him perfect. What do I know.
Another FReeper said his name is a “float” for DOI, but it will NEVER happen. Not over National Intelligence.
Considering Trump, in the last couple of days, indicates a mind to shrink the out of control congregation of intelligence-type agencies, perhaps Coats was/is thought to be adept at breaking down and doing away with the excesses among the several overstaffed and leaks-like-a-sieve turf warring departments dotting the landscape in Washington.
DC is falling all over itself with government employees, as you well know, better than anyone. Apparently, it includes Intelligence.
Well this gives balance and keeps the Russians guessing. I advocate TRUTH not russia.
I’ll second that: Whut?
He’s all over the place depending on wind direction.
From Wiki:
On multiple occasions, Coats has supported gun control measures. In 1991, he voted in favor of the Biden-Thurmond Violent Crime Control Act of 1991. This act, which did not become law, would have created a waiting period for handgun purchases and placed a ban on semi-automatic firearms. Subsequently, he supported the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act that President Clinton signed into law in 1993.[6] The legislation imposed a waiting period before a handgun could be transferred to an individual by a licensed dealer, importer, or manufacturer. This waiting period ended when the computerized instant check system came online. Coats also supported Feinstein Amendment 1152 to the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1993.[7] The purpose of the Feinstein Amendment was to “restrict the manufacture, transfer, and possession of certain semiautomatic assault weapons and large capacity ammunition feeding devices”.[8]
In April 2013, Coats was one of forty-six senators to vote against passage of a bill which would have expanded background checks for gun buyers. Coats voted with 40 Republicans and 5 Democrats to stop the passage of the bill.[9]
I was never excited about Pence. Too many unknowns and too many ties to the GOPe. When others here were enthralled with Trump’s pick, I was envisioning 8 years from now and how we’d be stuck with someone that might undo the good Trump did and give power back to the RINOs.
I forgot about that little weasel’s response when the tape came out
Across the Capitol, Pence’s task was to mend fences. A pal of Paul Ryan’s, Pence successfully negotiated the détente between the feuding House Speaker and party nominee. Like a Sunday-school teacher, Pence told the pair to knock it off and get back to the same hymnal. Then after the election, when conservatives threatened Ryan’s role as Speaker, Pence was on the phone calling potential naysayers to tell them that Trump wanted to keep Ryan in that role.
http://time.com/4606111/mike-pence-is-no-ordinary-wingman/?xid=tcoshare
I was very critical of the Pence pick on here initially and took a lot of heat for it. That said, as time went on, I grew to really like Mike Pence and think he was a great pick. I still think Pence was the best choice for Trump. He did a great job defending Trump and sticking by him. He’s obviously going to work hard.
I know he and Ryan are friends, though, and I’m not a supporter of Ryan.
See post 55.
Trump wanted to keep Ryan? In God’s name WHY?
I wasn’t doubting that pence wouldn’t be a good vice President. That he wouldn’t tow the line, tow Trump’s line. I just don’t trust him on his own, if he were to be president someday. He’s wat too establishment for me. And one of those types can never be trusted. Like Bush did to Reagan.
But I hope you’re right that he will be OK.
That retweet from Pence makes me want to hurl.
What retweet was that?
In my opinion, I don’t think Trump wanted to keep Ryan. I think those around Trump including Reince, Pence, etc. encouraged him to keep Ryan and Trump went along with it for the sake of unity. We know Bannon’s Breitbart does not like Ryan. It would be very interesting to see what would have happened if Trump had a non-establishment VP and staff there. Perhaps Trump would not have supported Ryan and there would have been dispute over his becoming Speaker among the Republicans in the House.
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