White House braces for shakeup after Trump privately complains about Coats

2/20/19
White House officials have begun to have preliminary discussions about replacing Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats amid concerns that President Donald Trump may soon dismiss him, two senior administration officials told CNN, despite the President's public denial he's considering the move. The conversations began this week in the West Wing after Trump spent the holiday weekend at Mar-a-Lago venting to friends and advisers about the director of national intelligence, renewing his gripes about Coats' testimony before Congress last month. In that testimony, Coats publicly contradicted Trump's optimistic forecast about the chances North Korea will agree to give up its nuclear weapons. Trump's weekend venting was not the first time that the President has voiced frustration with Coats, but aides were struck that Trump was still venting about the testimony that took place three weeks ago. Trump and Coats never forged a particularly close relationship and the President has time and again voiced frustrations about Coats, telling advisers that he considered Coats in line with other top officials who have sought to restrain him like former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and former White House chief of staff John Kelly. But there is now a growing sense in the West Wing that Trump's relationship with Coats may finally be beyond repair.

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Rogue Valley said:

White House braces for shakeup after Trump privately complains about Coats

Trump appointee Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Dan Coats.



Memo to US intelligence officials: Trump demands your utmost loyalty be to him rather than to the United States. Trump does not want to hear unpleasant truths. He wants to hear only what he says he wants to hear. Trump would prefer you publicly lie, and lie to Congress no less, rather than hear you say anything that contradicts his own lies, fantasies, and "alternative truths". Trump also demands you report that everything is sunshine and balloons when it comes to authoritarian regimes, but that our allies are never ever doing enough. You have to understand, Trump is a self-declared stable genius, and believes he knows more about everything than anybody else. Ever.In.History.

Related: Trump singled out Dan Coats in morning rant about intelligence community

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tres borrachos said:

Why would anyone in their right mind take a job working for that colossal asshole?

Coats is a good man. Smart man. Always was. So typical of that sonofabitch to treat him like ****.

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Winston said:

Every day that passes I lose more and more respect for Trump and his cult.

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RaleBulgarian said:

You must be reaallly deep into negative territory by now.

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Winston said:

Yeah I'm almost through to China. I understand the soy beans are a bit more expensive now.

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Winston said:

Cue the "Dan Coats is an Obama Deep State plant" brigade. Every day that passes I lose more and more respect for Trump and his cult.

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Rogue Valley said:

White House braces for shakeup after Trump privately complains about Coats

Trump appointee Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Dan Coats.



Memo to US intelligence officials: Trump demands your utmost loyalty be to him rather than to the United States. Trump does not want to hear unpleasant truths. He wants to hear only what he says he wants to hear. Trump would prefer you publicly lie, and lie to Congress no less, rather than hear you say anything that contradicts his own lies, fantasies, and "alternative truths". Trump also demands you report that everything is sunshine and balloons when it comes to authoritarian regimes, but that our allies are never ever doing enough. You have to understand, Trump is a self-declared stable genius, and believes he knows more about everything than anybody else. Ever.In.History.

Related: Trump singled out Dan Coats in morning rant about intelligence community

Click to expand...