President Donald Trump is reportedly circling back to Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX), one of the President’s most outspoken supporters in Congress, as a possible candidate for the position of director of national intelligence. It wouldn’t be the first time.
Several unnamed sources told CNN on Tuesday that Trump has been discussing potential appointment with the Texas Republican recently.
The President had originally planned to tap Ratcliffe for the position in July 2019 after the Trump loyalist loudly attacked Special Counsel Robert Mueller during a hearing on Mueller’s Russia investigation.
However, news reports soon revealed that Ratcliffe had little experience or even interest in matters of intelligence, and Trump announced that Ratcliffe would not be nominated for the role after all.
At the time, Trump complained that “the LameStream Media” had covered Ratcliffe “very unfairly.”
“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,” he tweeted. “John has therefore decided to stay in Congress where he has done such an outstanding job representing the people of Texas, and our Country.”
Richard Grenell, another Trump flunky, currently serves as the acting DNI. His appointment is part of Trump’s broader efforts to install loyalists in his administration, regardless of their level of experience, and purge those deemed to be “anti-Trump.”
The White House did not respond on the record to TPM’s request for confirmation of CNN’s report.
