Trump pick for intel chief withdraws
Credit to Author: ASSOCIATED PRESS| Date: Sat, 03 Aug 2019 19:07:04 +0000
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump’s pick for National Intelligence director, Texas Rep. John Ratcliffe, withdrew from consideration on Friday (Saturday in Manila) after just five days, as he faced growing questions about his experience and qualifications.
The move underscored the uncertainty over his confirmation prospects. Democrats openly dismissed the Republican congressman as an unqualified partisan, and Republicans offered only lukewarm and tentative expressions of support.
The announcement will leave the Intelligence community without a permanent, Senate-confirmed leader at a time when the US government is grappling with North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, the prospect of war with Iran and the anticipated efforts of Russia or other foreign governments to interfere in the American political system.
In a tweet Friday, Trump said Ratcliffe had decided to stay in Congress so as to avoid “months of slander and libel.”
Trump didn’t cite specific media reports, though multiple stories in the last week have questioned Ratcliffe’s qualifications and suggested that he had misrepresented his experience as a federal prosecutor in Texas.
In his own statement, Ratcliffe said he remained convinced that he could have done the job “with the objectivity, fairness and integrity that our intelligence agencies need and deserve.”
Ratcliffe would have replaced Dan Coats, who repeatedly clashed with Trump and announced his resignation a week ago. Coats is departing the office August 15.