He’s more concerned with protecting himself than protecting the country. Ratcliffe is unqualified. He did defend Trump on tv which is all that matters.
The fear I am hearing about Ratcliffe tonight: That he will politicize intelligence the way Barr has done to the Justice Department.
— Kate Brannen (@K8brannen) July 29, 2019
Trump is consolidating his personal control over the intelligence community. Between loyalists Barr and Radcliffe, and pliant CIA and FBI directors, Trump is close to neutralizing intelligence and law enforcement as spoilers in his bid to amass unprecedented executive power. https://t.co/gFjO717upb
— Rolf Mowatt-Larssen (@AmericanMystic) July 28, 2019
Ratcliffe as DNI, like Barr at Justice, like Trump's appointees to the Supreme Court and McConnell in the Senate, will be part of the president's praetorian guard, men given positions of great power who have but a single mission, to protect and enable Trump.
— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) July 28, 2019
In a nutshell: Ratcliffe will be the Barr of the Intelligence Community. Think about that. It is a consolidation of power for Trump and the worst forces at work in our country today.
— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) July 28, 2019
Here's @peterbergencnn on the Ratcliffe nomination: "Trump clashes with a truth teller and replaces him with a partisan sycophant." https://t.co/EU4Xa9DndS
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) July 29, 2019
That Ratcliffe should not be confirmed is overwhelmingly obvious. He has no experience. He is being appointed because a criminal presidency* needs a front man in intel. https://t.co/hXFltRo4tM
— Charles P. Pierce (@CharlesPPierce) July 29, 2019
I heard Ratcliffe say the Mueller report was authored by “Hillary Clinton’s…defense team.” This kind of idiotic conspiracy-theory nonsense disqualifies him to be Director of National Intelligence (he lacks the requisite intel experience, judgement and allegiance to the truth). https://t.co/T2aeeewVOw
— Glenn Kirschner (@glennkirschner2) July 29, 2019
“Clean house.”
— Tamara Cofman Wittes (@tcwittes) July 29, 2019
ODNI is full of career intel officers, starting with DepDir Gordon. Their job is to speak truth as they understand it. In that context, can “clean house” mean anything other than “get people who will tell us what we want to hear”? https://t.co/VLaIcY2S0s
Does it worry Republican senators that Trump just nominated a congressman who delivered one of the most intellectually dishonest (or downright stupid) performances in the Mueller hearings? It should. https://t.co/ydIIhcdh3g
— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) July 28, 2019
Predecessors in this role:
— James Fallows (@JamesFallows) July 28, 2019
1) Career diplomat, former ambass to UN, Mexico, Iraq, other cos
2) Career Navy, former head of Nat Sec Agency
3) Career Navy former CINCPAC
4) Career Air Force, former head of DIA
5) Former Sen, ambass to Germany
Now Ratcliffe https://t.co/uzkxAVw2eR https://t.co/3wc9As9Dw7
John Ratcliffe, by one measure the second most conservative member of Congress, appears to believe that the Russia investigation was cooked up by Democrats who “committed crimes.” Now Trump reportedly is considering placing atop the US intelligence community.
— Ken Dilanian (@KenDilanianNBC) July 28, 2019
Some more on Ratcliffe – POTUS loved watching him at the hearings and wants someone who he sees as defending him. But Ratcliffe was making statements he has long believed, and was not so focused on the Audience of One, per his allies. He also wants to clean house at ODNI.
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) July 28, 2019
The bad news about John Ratcliffe:
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) July 28, 2019
1. He's completely unqualified for the job
2. He's a Trump sycophant
3. See and 1 and 2.
The good news about Ratcliffe:
1. He's not Nunes.
2. … https://t.co/1Yw3G9AvaE
This Ratcliffe interview is worth watching in light of today's news. h/t @shaneharris https://t.co/53CF6rQeZt
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) July 28, 2019
Tryout at the Mueller testimony went well! https://t.co/JVCLLjaGHR
— Chris Cillizza (@CillizzaCNN) July 28, 2019
2nd term Rep from Texas. Heritage ranks as 2nd most conservative in the House. Critic of Mueller and Russia investigation. No intel background, former small town mayor and federal prosecutor. Interested in cybersecurity in the House https://t.co/NUUqkbA533
— David Burbach (@dburbach) July 28, 2019
Sad! 