Trump again nominates Congressman Ratcliffe as his intelligence director

By Jonathan Landay

 

FILE PHOTO: Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) questions Intelligence Committee Minority Counsel Stephen Castor and Intelligence Committee Majority Counsel Daniel Goldman during the House impeachment inquiry hearings, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., December 9, 2019. Doug Mills/Pool via REUTERS

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Friday he again was tapping Republican Representative John Ratcliffe to be the nation's top spy, a loyalist whose first nomination he dropped last year amid questions about a lack of experience and possible resume embellishment.

 

Trump announced the move on Twitter. It would allow him to extend in an acting capacity as director of national intelligence another staunch supporter, Richard Grenell, the U.S. ambassador to Germany, while the Senate considers Ratcliffe's nomination.

 

The announcement comes as the U.S. intelligence community confronts an array of challenges, including foreign interference in this year's presidential election campaign, tensions with Russia, Iran and China, and tracking the global spread of the coronavirus.

 

"I am pleased to announce the nomination of @RepRattcliffe (Congressman John Ratcliffe) to be Director National Intelligence," Trump said in the tweet. "Would have completed the process earlier, but John wanted to wait until after IG Report was finished."

 

It was unclear to which report Trump was referring. Ratcliffe's office did not immediate respond to a request for comment.

 

"John is an outstanding man of great talent," Trump tweeted.

 

His announcement drew a lukewarm response from Richard Burr, the Republican chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, who said he looked forward to "receiving Congressman Ratcliffe's official nomination and ushering it through the Senate's regular order."

 

Democrats almost immediately objected, with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer calling for swift bipartisan rejection of Ratcliffe as overseer of the 17 agencies comprising the U.S. intelligence community.

 

"The last time this nomination was unsuccessfully put forward, serious bipartisan questions were raised about Rep.

Ratcliffe's background and qualifications," Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a statement. "It's hard for me to see that anything new has happened to change that."

 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the president was ignoring "many serious outstanding concerns" about Ratcliffe, and that intelligence should never be guided by partisanship or politics.

 

"Unfortunately, Congressman Ratcliffe has shown an unacceptable embrace of conspiracy theories and a clear disrespect and distrust of our law enforcement and intelligence patriots that disqualify him from leading America's intelligence community," Pelosi said in a statement.

 

OUTSPOKEN DEFENDER

 

Ratcliffe, who has represented a Texas congressional district since 2015 and is a member of the House intelligence and judiciary committees, was an outspoken defender of the president during the Democratic-led proceedings that resulted in Trump's impeachment last year on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

 

The Republican-controlled Senate acquitted Trump this month.

 

Trump first nominated Ratcliffe to be Director National Intelligence (DNI) on July 28 to succeed Dan Coats, a former Republican senator with whom Trump clashed over assessments involving Russia, North Korea and Iran.

 

The nomination drew fire from Democrats and some former senior U.S. intelligence officials who said Ratcliffe lacked experience. Some also expressed fears he would warp intelligence to support Trump's views.

 

News outlets, including Reuters, also reported on concerns that Ratcliffe exaggerated his counter-terrorism experience as a federal prosecutor in Texas.

 

In a Feb. 25, 2015, press release Ratcliffe said he had "convicted individuals" in the prosecution of a charity that funnelled money to Hamas, the Palestinian militant group on the U.S. list of foreign terrorist organizations.

 

Three defence attorneys said they had no recollection of his involvement in the case.

 

Trump dropped the nomination on Aug. 2, with Ratcliffe saying that he did not want a partisan "national security and intelligence debate surrounding my nomination, however untrue."

 

The revival of his nomination lets Grenell remain as acting DNI while the Senate considers Ratcliffe. Grenell was limited to serving until March 11 in a temporary capacity unless Trump tapped a full-time replacement.

 

The president named Grenell this month to replace Joseph Mcguire, who also served in an acting capacity, after an aide to the former Navy admiral and intelligence veteran briefed the House Intelligence Committee on Russian attempts to interfere in the 2020 presidential race.

 

The panel is chaired by Democrat Adam Schiff, who led the House impeachment proceeding against Trump.

 

Reacting to Ratcliffe's revived nomination, Schiff said on Twitter, "We now have an intelligence chief who should not have been fired, an unqualified nominee who should not be confirmed, and an acting director who is patently unfit."

 

(Reporting by Jonathan Landay; Additional reporting by Eric Beech and Mark Hosenball; Editing by Mohammad Zargham, Leslie Adler and Daniel Wallis)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-02-29

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If anyone takes this position they can't be very intelligent.

Trump>>intelligence>>oxymoron

Is this another revolving door actor in the administration?

I hope he does not relinquish too much to take the position, he could find himself short changed on past performances

 

The latest "yes man", aka "loyalist".

So he wasn’t qualified for the job last year but this year he is.

 

’Only the best people’.

4 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

So he wasn’t qualified for the job last year but this year he is.

 

’Only the best people’.

One definition of insanity

"Doing the same thing over again and expecting a different outcome"

2 hours ago, rooster59 said:

"John is an outstanding man of great talent," Trump tweeted.

and then, after some time "John is not good, he is bad. I had to fire him."

Nobody qualified wants to work for trump,if you are qualified you (imo) would be disqualified for having a open mind  to intelligence 

You would expect by now, that his nominees are aware of the truth in the saying that

Everything Trump Touches, Dies

Scrapping the barrel when all the good people have left the crutches of the mad king. 

 

It's getting harder and harder for Trump to stock the swamp he has created.

7 hours ago, RJRS1301 said:

One definition of insanity

"Doing the same thing over again and expecting a different outcome"

I don't think it is a serious nomination, he just wants a very slow senate rejection so his present, temporary, man can stay on longer.

Obviously Trump makes sure that nobody is more competent than the boss. And that limits the choices enormously.

7 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

So he wasn’t qualified for the job last year but this year he is.

 

’Only the best people’.

That reminds me about George W. When he was president many of us thought it can't get worse...

9 hours ago, rooster59 said:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Friday he again was tapping Republican Representative John Ratcliffe to be the nation's top spy, a loyalist whose first nomination he dropped last year amid questions about a lack of experience and possible resume embellishment.

Intel doesn'T spy ! They  perform surveillance. He's the top surveillance officer. Hasn't reuters  learned anything from AG Barrs critics   

Edited February 29, 20206 yr by riclag

11 hours ago, rooster59 said:

The nomination drew fire from Democrats and some former senior U.S. intelligence officials who said Ratcliffe lacked experience. Some also expressed fears he would warp intelligence to support Trump's views.

I think it safe to say a loyalest lacking experience in intel but  is far better at handling bias career officials  in those 17 intel agencies! Besides who's saying he's lacking experience ,Nancy and Chuck!

 Imop its to bad it has to be this way,not trusting  career officials but maybe it has something to do with what's coming about in regards to the criminal  investigation Durham is performing imop! Gonna miss his interviews on the news.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ratcliffe_(American_politician)

Edited February 29, 20206 yr by riclag

During Trump's administration, many good officials have left.
In addition, this year's presidential election, I think it is very likely that Trump will lose the election.
The global economic crisis may be imminent, and it will be a great challenge to Trump's election.

How cushy a gig would this be? Trump’s intelligence director........ as trump has almost no intelligence, little to direct I think.

Interesting subject and observations. I think we all know by now that Trump only hires persons who have passed the loyalty test which includes having only limited backbone and being willing to do as he says. "yes sir, yes sir, three bags full sir"

It's like a theatre repertory company, he keeps moving the same players around.

 

 

My favorite display of sycophancy

 

 

 

 

7 hours ago, stevenl said:

I don't think it is a serious nomination, he just wants a very slow senate rejection so his present, temporary, man can stay on longer.

Republicans control the Senate. Duh. A simple majority is all that is needed thanks to crooked Harry Reid.

Ratcliffe is a good pick. And yea a loyalist, would you hire someone who would work against you, like the deep state already is? And he'll start to dig out the obama/Clinton rats who leaked classified information and spied on his campaign and administration!

4 hours ago, El Guapo said:

And he'll start to dig out the obama/Clinton rats who leaked classified information and spied on his campaign and administration!

I love all this continuous outrage from the Trumper's and they won, wonder what it is going to like when they loose !

5 hours ago, El Guapo said:

Ratcliffe is a good pick. And yea a loyalist, would you hire someone who would work against you, like the deep state already is? And he'll start to dig out the obama/Clinton rats who leaked classified information and spied on his campaign and administration!

Usually you would pick someone who would tell you what the intel is.

 

But the last guy was fired for doing that.