In recent days, President Trump has been speaking with close advisers about getting rid of Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, according to Axios and CNN.
Trump’s been irked with Coats for months and has been discussing potential replacements since at least February, according to Axios. An adviser who spoke to Trump about ousting Coats last week told Axios that the move would be “sooner rather than later.”
Trump has also reportedly been talking to advisers about his interest in getting rid of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence altogether.
The relationship between Trump and Coats hasn’t been amicable for some time. Trump grew irritated with Coats when he mocked his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin during an interview with NBC’s Andrea Mitchell. Trump was also irked by Coats in January when he contradicted Trump’s claims about denuclearization efforts in North Korea.
Dan Coats might be next to go pic.twitter.com/xgxClmC63r
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) July 12, 2019
