Trump asked Rep. David Nunes to help him pick his next Director of National Intelligence

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Good Grief! The stupid helping the idiot.
On Monday, Politico reported that President Donald Trump is consulting with Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) about who he should consider to replace Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats.

Nunes has led the Republican side of the House Intelligence Committee since 2015 and chaired the committee for four years, despite having no professional qualifications of any kind for that role. Since 2017, he has been known for his stunts and conspiracy theories intended to discredit the Russia investigation and throw suspicion on anyone who looks into Trump’s conduct.

He authored a shoddy memo claiming the FBI lied to gain surveillance warrants, traveled to Britain to try to dig up dirt on MI6 veteran and Trump dossier author Christopher Steele, and faced an ethics investigation for allegedly giving reporters classified information to try to embarrass the intelligence community. His most recent noteworthy project is suing a fictional Twitter cow for saying mean things about him.

Coats, who previously served as a Republican senator from Indiana, is one of the only remaining members of Trump’s original national security team, and is widely regarded as one of his most effective people. But the president has clashed with Coats on political matters, to the point that he is now ready to fire him.
https://www.rawstory.com/2019/07/trump ... elligence/

American intelligence is so screwed.
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.-Huxley
"We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." ~ Louis Brandeis,

Re: Trump asked Rep. David Nunes to help him pick his next Director of National Intelligence

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It is the new "National Conservatism"

I call it the new NatC party.

What comes after Trump may be even worse

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions ... ven-worse/

"A who’s who of Trumpian intellectuals (an oxymoron?) gathered at the Ritz-Carlton in Washington last week to propound an ominous ideology: “national conservatism.” As Reason reported, the conferees want to ditch the old conservative aversion to having the government micromanage the economy. Many speakers argued for an industrial policy based on tariffs and tax credits to reverse what “Hillbilly Elegy” author J.D. Vance described as “family decline, childhood trauma, opioid abuse, community decline, decline of the manufacturing sector.” In response, Rep. Justin Amash (I-Mich.) tweeted: “ ‘National conservatism’ is just collectivism rebranded for the right. It’s a form of socialism built upon fear of the new and different.” (Maybe it should be called “national socialism” instead? If only that term weren’t already taken.)"

We can’t pretend this is a normal election

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions ... story.html

"If President Trump and the Republican Party want the 2020 election to be a referendum on unabashed white supremacy, that’s their choice. Voters who embrace the views of David Duke and other proud racists will have Trump to vote for. Voters who disagree will have a Democratic alternative. Simple as that."

Trump attacks ‘socialists’ at home, but in Hong Kong he just sided with the Communists

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions ... story.html
It is an unfortunate human failing that a full pocketbook often groans more loudly than an empty stomach.

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Re: Trump asked Rep. David Nunes to help him pick his next Director of National Intelligence

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Big hint to Coates that he should resign, Trump doesn't have the balls to fire him yet. Coates has friends in the US Senate and there don't appear to be normal grounds of incompetency or corruption. Highly unlikely that Coates' friends in the Senate will come to his defense.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: Trump asked Rep. David Nunes to help him pick his next Director of National Intelligence

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Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats is expected to resign soon, capping a tumultuous relationship with President Trump

Coats’s resignation, which was confirmed by people familiar with the matter, follows years of the intelligence director being at odds with Trump over the wisdom of negotiations with Russia, Iran’s nuclear weapons program and the severity of foreign threats to U.S. elections.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/pol ... ent-trump/
It is an unfortunate human failing that a full pocketbook often groans more loudly than an empty stomach.

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Re: Trump asked Rep. David Nunes to help him pick his next Director of National Intelligence

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TrueTexan wrote: Sun Jul 28, 2019 4:56 pm I wish Dan Coats would stand up to Trump and say you want me to leave then fire me and I will be happy to talk to Congress.
Like John Kelly and Tim Ryan, he is probably looking forward to a cushy multimillion dollar corporate job with Fox, Raytheon, or a private prison contractor. His roots are Indiana (Quayle, Pence), and he is a loyal Midwest Republican.

From 1976 to 1980, Coats worked for then-U.S. Representative Dan Quayle from Indiana.

When Quayle resigned from the Senate after being elected Vice President of the United States in 1988, Coats was appointed to Quayle's former seat.
It is an unfortunate human failing that a full pocketbook often groans more loudly than an empty stomach.

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Re: Trump asked Rep. David Nunes to help him pick his next Director of National Intelligence

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Well Coates is leaving and looks like Trump to nominate Texas GOP Rep. John Ratcliffe as intelligence director.
Ratcliffe, a former prosecutor, is considered a strong Trump defender, most recently pleasing the president when he sharply criticized Robert Mueller last week during the former special counsel’s testimony before the House Judiciary Committee.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/intelli ... 86f4894fab

Ratcliffe Is on thE House Intelligence Committee but has never been involved with working with Intelligence Agencies.
John Lee Ratcliffe[5] (born October 20, 1965) is an American politician who has served as the congressman for Texas's 4th district since 2015, and is the expected nominee to become Director of National Intelligence.

In Heritage Action's final scorecard for the 114th Congress, Ratcliffe was ranked as the most conservative Texas legislator in Congress and second-most conservative legislator in the country.[6]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Rat ... olitician)

He is a toady suckup to Trump, so lord help the Intel Agencies.
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.-Huxley
"We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." ~ Louis Brandeis,

Re: Trump asked Rep. David Nunes to help him pick his next Director of National Intelligence

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In an unusually strident news release, Wyden called Ratcliffe “the most partisan and least qualified individual ever nominated to serve as Director of National Intelligence” and warned he’s not much more than a Trump acolyte:

“The sum total of his qualifications appears to be his record of promoting Donald Trump’s conspiracy theories about the investigation into Russian interference and calling for prosecution of Trump’s political enemies,” Wyden said.

“Furthermore, he has endorsed widespread government surveillance and shown little concern for Americans’ rights,” Wyden added, “except for those of Donald Trump and his close associates.”

Ratcliffe is a former prosecutor who has limited experience in intelligence oversight.

“Confirming this individual would amount to an endorsement of this administration’s drive to politicize our intelligence agencies,” Wyden warned. “This is a dangerous time, and America needs the most qualified and objective individuals possible to lead our intelligence agencies. Anything less risks American lives.”

Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.) told CNN on Monday, “To be honest, I really don’t know anything about the gentleman, the congressman, he’s talking about selecting. You know, this was kind of a sudden thing. So that’s something that we’ll be looking at.”

Coats’ departure had been rumored going back to at least the summer of 2018, when Trump publicly dismissed U.S. intelligence findings of Russian meddling in the 2016 election while standing alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki.

Coats responded in a statement affirming the intelligence community’s commitment to providing “the best information and fact-based assessments possible for the president and policymakers” and said that it “will continue to provide unvarnished and objective intelligence in support of our national security.”

Trump walked back the statement with Putin, claiming he’d misspoken, yet nevertheless again contradicted intelligence findings about Russia the next day.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/john-ra ... 8c977ff3bd

He will probably have his confirmation pushed through with little oversight by Moscow Mitch.
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.-Huxley
"We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." ~ Louis Brandeis,

Re: Trump asked Rep. David Nunes to help him pick his next Director of National Intelligence

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President Donald Trump’s nominee to be the Director of National Intelligence is facing a stolen valor situation after claiming to have put terrorists in jail, NBC News reported Monday.

“[John] Ratcliffe, 53, has little experience in national security or intelligence. He was elected in 2014 with the support of the Tea Party, ousting 91-year-old incumbent Republican Ralph Hall. Ratcliffe had been the mayor of Heath, Texas — population 7,000 — from 2004 to 2012,” NBC reported. “During that time, Ratcliffe became a federal prosecutor, named chief of anti-terrorism and national security for the Eastern District of Texas. In 2007, Ratcliffe was named the district’s acting U.S. attorney by President George W. Bush.”

“Although Ratcliffe’s website says he ‘put terrorists in prison,’ there is no evidence he ever prosecuted a terrorism case,” NBC reported.

“He convicted individuals who were funneling money to Hamas behind the front of a charitable organization,” the congressman’s office claimed in a 2015 press release.

“While he was U.S. attorney in East Texas, Ratcliffe was appointed as a special prosecutor in a terrorism funding case in Dallas, U.S. v. Holy Land Foundation, in which a Muslim charity was found guilty of funneling money to the Palestinian terror group,” NBC reported. “But Ratcliffe’s name does not appear in the Holy Land trial record.”
https://www.rawstory.com/2019/07/buste ... firmation/

Seems he’s just been caught padding his resume. No big deal the President has done it all the time. :sarcasm:
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.-Huxley
"We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." ~ Louis Brandeis,

Re: Trump asked Rep. David Nunes to help him pick his next Director of National Intelligence

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Now we learn the truth as to why Trump picked the suck up to be the next DNI. Stop investigations that Trump doesn’t like.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday accidentally admitted his reason for choosing his new pick to become Director of National Intelligence (DNI) is to end investigations he doesn’t favor.

For years President Trump has complained about the investigations into his actions, those of his campaign, his transition team, his administration, his businesses, and even his charity. And for years he has attacked the Intelligence Community, the 17 intelligence agencies headed by the Director of National Intelligence (DNI).

Trump on Sunday announced his DNI, Dan Coats, was resigning, although some believe Coats was forced out.

Trump’s replacement has been highly criticized for having almost no relevant experience – a specific requirement in federal law – and for being a highly-partisan defender of the president.

Clearly that’s part of the reason Trump says he will nominate Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) to lead the U.S. Intel Community.

Trump told reporters Tuesday Congressman Ratcliffe is “a very talented guy,” and “a strong man,” which he says is “what we need in that position.”

Many would argue that what is needed in that position is someone who will stand up to a President who refuses to accept the intelligence the 17 intel agencies provide him.

“I think that John Ratcliffe is going to do an incredible job, if he gets approved,” Trump added. “I think we need somebody like that that’s strong and can really rein it in. As you’ve all learned, the intelligence agencies have run amok. They’ve run amok.”

The intelligence agencies have not “run amok,” they have been working to uncover the truth behind Russia’s assault on the United States, despite repeated attacks against them from the Commander-in-Chief.

Talking Points Editor and Publisher Josh Marshall summed up Trump’s remarks.

“So the president is explicitly saying that the Ratcliffe nomination is about enforcing loyalty to Trump.”
https://www.theliberalgunclub.com/phpB ... 53#preview
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.-Huxley
"We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." ~ Louis Brandeis,

Re: Trump asked Rep. David Nunes to help him pick his next Director of National Intelligence

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President Trump announced that Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) would not be nominated to become the next director of national intelligence in a pair of Friday tweets, saying it would expose him to "months of slander and libel."

"Our great Republican Congressman John Ratcliffe is being treated very unfairly by the LameStream Media. Rather than going through months of slander and libel, I explained to John how miserable it would be for him and his family to deal with these people. John has therefore decided to stay in Congress.

"The state of play, via Axios' Jonathan Swan: Ratcliffe withdrew himself, per sources familiar with the situation. He was watching coverage of his possible nomination pile up, and the White House was getting word that he would struggle to get enough Republicans to confirm him. Ratcliffe "thought better to pull out now than put family through confirmation only to come up shy," texted a source familiar with his thinking.

According to a third source familiar with the situation, Ratcliffe did not anticipate the intensity of the reaction to his name being floated.
The backdrop: Ratcliffe, who defended Trump and "downplayed the threat posed by Russia" at former special counsel Robert Mueller's July hearing, is not well-known by many Republican senators or trusted by Democrats, per Politico.
https://www.axios.com/john-ratcliffe-dn ... 159a3.html

Our government by Tweet.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: Trump asked Rep. David Nunes to help him pick his next Director of National Intelligence

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Now that he is out, is Trump going to try another end run around the Constitution and try to get another acting head that is not the one required by law.
With Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) out as President Donald Trump’s nominee to be Director of National Intelligence, Sue Gordon, the second in command at the office, would take over from exiting Dan Coats as the acting director.

But although Trump said he may name her to that position, the Wall Street Journal reported that there is an aggressive campaign by allies of the president to prevent her from ascending to that role, citing her professional relationship with former CIA Director John Brennan, who is a harsh Trump critic.

However, as CNN legal expert Susan Hennessey noted on Twitter, the law may give Trump no choice in the matter — and if he attempts to block Gordon from heading the department, it would be an end run around the Constitution:

Gordon will be acting DNI by law. This isn't some legal technicality. Congress made an intentional choice to avoid precisely this kind of game playing. If Trump wants a new DNI, he can nominate one and get the Senate to confirm. He doesn't get to work around the Constitution.

Despite his public comments, Trump is unlikely to allow Sue Gordon to ascend to acting DNI, sources say, amid an intense campaign to oust her being waged by conservative allies who view her as too close to John Brennan.

Trump has previously played fast and loose with the line of succession at key agencies to avoid having to have his nominees confirmed by the Senate. At the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Office, he even created a brand new position for one of his allies so that he could slot him into an acting leadership role.
https://www.rawstory.com/2019/08/trump- ... stitution/

He might want to just give the job to Jared. :roflmao:
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.-Huxley
"We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." ~ Louis Brandeis,

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