Sen. Gary Peters said Monday he didn’t believe outgoing Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats would last long in his position under President Trump due to challenging the president and remaining an independent voice.
“I was sorry to see Mr. Coats go,” the Michigan Democrat said on CNN’s “New Day.” “I’ve had a chance to work with him. I always thought he was even-keeled and thoughtful and I know he did challenge the president from time to time and when he did that, I certainly figured he probably is not going to be around very long.
“The president doesn’t want people to challenge and when you think about an intelligence director, you want independent advice,” he said. “You want to have the best available intelligence to make decisions that are based on fact and reality. That’s not something that our current president wants.”
Mr. Trump announced Sunday that Mr. Coats’ position would be given to Rep. John Ratcliffe, a Trump loyalist.
Democrats have raised concerns that the pick might be too political.
While earlier reporting said he thought the pick might be too political, North Carolina Republican and chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee Sen. Richard Burr said in a statement he’d called to congratulate the lawmaker.
He added that once Mr. Ratcliffe’s nomination is officially submitted, he would “work to move it swiftly through” the confirmation process.
Mr. Peters said he’s not sure Mr. Ratcliffe is qualified for the job but hopes Mr. Burr’s protests spur other Republicans to speak out.
“Will Republicans step up and look at the country as what’s best for the country, not what’s best for the president?” he said. “We’ve got to move on that kind of partisan politics, but we’re already in such a hyper-partisan environment. Some of our folks have to move away from that partisanship in order to do the best job for this country.”
• Bailey Vogt can be reached at bvogt@washingtontimes.com.
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