Trump Nominates Former Senator Coats as Intelligence Director

Coats, 73, probably would face close questioning by both Republicans and Democrats about how he views the intelligence community’s conclusions that Russia hacked Democratic Party computer systems in order to meddle in the U.S. presidential campaign, which Trump has repeatedly questioned. The current director of national intelligence, James Clapper, who briefed Trump on Friday, testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee Thursday that U.S. intelligence agencies now have “very high” confidence in their assessment, Bloomberg reported.

“Dan has clearly demonstrated the deep subject matter expertise and sound judgment required to lead our intelligence community,” Trump said Saturday in a statement. “He will provide unwavering leadership that the entire intelligence community can respect, and will spearhead my administration’s ceaseless vigilance against those who seek to do us harm.”

In a series of tweets starting late Tuesday evening, Trump suggested intelligence agencies delayed briefing him on the hacking to build their case, calling it “very strange.” He later cited remarks by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in a Fox News interview that cast doubt on the intelligence assessment. “Also said Russians did not give him info!”

After the Friday briefing, which he described as “constructive,” Trump said he’ll seek a plan to “aggressively combat and stop cyberattacks.”

Overseeing Agencies

Having served as a senator, ambassador and lobbyist, Coats is a known quantity in Washington. As the DNI, he would oversee coordination of 17 intelligence agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency, tasked with tracking everything from terrorist operations to foreign military maneuvers.

If confirmed by the Senate, Coats will join a team expected to include retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn as national security adviser, Republican Representative Mike Pompeo as CIA chief and former General James Mattis at the Pentagon.

“If confirmed, I will ensure our national security decision-makers have every piece of information they need to protect the American people from the threats facing our nation,” Coats said. “There is no higher priority than keeping America safe, and I will utilize every tool at my disposal to make that happen.”

Trump also considered Fran Townsend, President George W. Bush’s former homeland security adviser; Admiral Mike Rogers, the current director of the National Security Agency; and former United Nations Ambassador John Bolton.

As a member of the Homeland Security Appropriations and Intelligence Committees, Coats in 2014 laid out what he termed a more effective strategy to combat Islamic State terrorists, calling for having law enforcement working more collaboratively with domestic Muslim communities; pushing Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Gulf allies to cut off financial support for groups that support terrorism; and expanding bombing of Islamic State camps in Syria.

He also has made comments similar to Trump’s about the need for what the president-elect has called “extreme vetting” of people coming into the country from areas where terrorists are active. Coats said the U.S. needs to review its Visa Waiver Program, which lets citizens of about three dozen nations to enter the U.S. for as many as 90 days without getting visas in advance, saying it might have to be eliminated for national security reasons. “Similar reviews of our refugee and asylum policies are necessary,” he added in a statement on his website.

In March 2015, Coats announced his retirement from the Senate, saying he wouldn’t seek re-election. He served as a congressman and then senator from 1981 to 1999, stepping down because of a term-limits pledge. But he returned to the Senate in 2011 and became a member of the Senate Finance, Select Intelligence and Joint Economic committees. He also served as U.S. ambassador to Germany and in the private sector, working as a lobbyist for for companies such as General Electric Co. and Google.