Congressman John Ratcliffe will not be the nation's next top intelligence official. The Texas Republican tweeted today he is withdrawing from consideration and will run for re-election instead. Ratcliffe has been under scrutiny for not having enough experience to oversee 17 intelligence agencies. He's also accused of exaggerating his resume while running for office.
In a series of Tweets, Ratcliffe said, "While I am and will remain very grateful to the President for his intention to nominate me as Director of National Intelligence, I am withdrawing from consideration. I was humbled and honored that the President put his trust in me to lead our nation’s intelligence operations and remain convinced that when confirmed, I would have done so with the objectivity, fairness and integrity that our intelligence agencies need and deserve. However, I do not wish for a national security and intelligence debate surrounding my confirmation, however untrue, to become a purely political and partisan issue. The country we all love deserves that it be treated as an American issue. Accordingly, I have asked the President to nominate someone other than me for this position."
President Trump blames his withdrawal on "LameStream Media." Today's announcement comes five days after current intel chief Dan Coats said he's stepping down on August 15th. Trump plans to name another nominee soon.
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