Dan Coats testified before Congress in January, giving answers which contradicted many of Trump's off-the-wall claims about North Korea and ISIS. Now it's being reported that he will eventually be fired for daring to tell the truth in contravention to Trump's preferred lies.
The Washington Post is reporting that Trump is disenchanted with his DNI because of those contradictions that are "undercutting his policy goals, particularly with respect to reaching a disarmament agreement with North Korea."
Apparently Trump doesn't understand that his national intelligence people cannot lie to Congress during hearings with important committees.
Coats, like others in Trump's administration, does not get points for stroking Dear Leader's ego while under oath.
Trump is still “enraged” about Coats's congressional testimony on national security threats last month, believing that the director undercut the president’s authority when he shared intelligence assessments about Iran, North Korea and the Islamic State that are at odds with many of Trump’s public statements, said one adviser who spoke with the president over the weekend.
I've never been a fan of Dan Coats when he was in Congress, but his briefings appear to be genuine in respects to our foreign adversaries even if he's not a hands on guy.
Most likely when Lou Dobbs, a close personal friend and advisor to Trump attacked the DNI for being honest in his Congressional answers, (something Trump is adverse to) it tweaked Trump to no end.
Dobbs said, "What the hell is wrong with the DNI? He has no political judgment, no sense of proportion. I mean what in the hell is he talking about?”
These remarks prompted an early morning Twitter storm against the intelligence agencies by Trump:
I remarked at the time, "Go back to school? The Intelligence services are not infallible, as we all know, but for a man who sticks to fifty-year-old wives-tales, that was rich."
If Trump took some time to go over his intelligence briefings on the matters of foreign policy he might state some actual facts on these important issues, but instead he brags and blathers on, spewing nonsense and lies to stroke his own ego.
If the litmus test to remain in favor in Trump's administration is to lie at all times no matter who one is talking to, there won't be anyone left for him to hire except for Matt Schlapp and Ben Ferguson.
Coats has not toed the Trump loyalty line very well and for that he will pay. Stay tuned.
Update Here's part of a conversation on MSNBC's The Eleventh Hour with Clint Watts and Shane Harris about concerns in Washington, D.C. that Trump will do this rash thing.
