Democrats bristle at Trump's repeat DNI choice

(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

published 29 February 2020

Let's try this again.

President Trump said Friday he will nominate Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) to serve as the United States' next director of national intelligence. It's the second time Trump put the congressman — who is considered an ardent Trump loyalist, and was a very vocal supporter of the president during the House impeachment inquiry — up for the role.

Trump eventually advised Ratcliffe last July not to take the job because he would have "gone through months of slander and libel." It's not entirely clear why that stance has changed, but Ratcliffe is still expected to face confirmation hurdles, as even some Republican lawmakers expressed concern over his credentials and suggested he may be too partisan for the role, which involves matters of national security. A senior administration official, however, told The Wall Street Journal that Republican senators are more open to the idea this time around, presumably because they just want to have someone step into the permanent role.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox