President Donald Trump is considering replacing Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, two sources familiar with the situation confirmed to the Daily Caller on Friday.
Axios first reported the news on Friday, with five sources telling the news outlet that the president has been floating the idea of getting rid of Coats for months, and one source suggested the change could happen “sooner rather than later.â€
“It’s time for a change. Dan’s a great guy but the president doesn’t listen to him anymore,†one government source told Axios.
“He’ll be gone,†a source confirmed to the Caller, asserting that the president has a list of potential replacements.
Fred Fleitz, the president and CEO of the Center for Security Policy and a former chief of staff to John Bolton, is being considered for the position. A source with knowledge told the Caller that Trump first raised the idea to Fleitz during a meeting in February, and cited Fleitz’s opposition to a war with Iran as one potential sticking point for the president.
“That’s been a big rift in the Republican Party,†the source explained, noting that Trump campaigned on getting the U.S. out of endless wars.
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The president was also reportedly interested in eliminating the Office of the Director of National Intelligence entirely, but was told it is not politically possible. Instead, he now is looking at ways to “downsize†the agency.
https://dailycaller.com/2019/07/12/report-donald-trump-replace-dni-dan-coats/
