Director of National Intelligence

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DOJ, DNI Weigh In on Trump's Declassification Claim

Agencies say there's no record that ex-president had 'standing order' to declassify Mar-a-Lago docs

(Newser) - Former President Trump's claim that he had a "standing order" to declassify documents taken from the White House to Mar-a-Lago has long been debunked as "dubious" and called "total nonsense" by Trump White House officials. Now, another blow to Trump's story: the Week reports that...

3 Jarring Quotes on China From Top Intelligence Official

Avril Haines testifies before Senate Intelligence Committee

(Newser) - The director of national intelligence testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee Tuesday, and what she said wasn't exactly comforting. In fact, Sen. Angus King said in response to the intelligence community's annual report on worldwide threats, "My recommendation is, don't read it just before you go...

Hundreds More UFOs Recorded, Some With 'Unusual' Traits

Most sightings remain unexplained, per government report

(Newser) - There's been a "dramatic increase" in reported UFOs —or unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP)—since the government office in charge of sightings released its last report in June 2021, per CNN . The Office of the Director of National Intelligence's initial report included 144 reports of "unidentified...

Top US Intelligence Official: Putin Ready to Outlast Us All

Avril Haines sees him as 'preparing for a prolonged conflict'

(Newser) - The country's top intelligence official spoke at a Senate hearing Tuesday, and the updates she provided on the Ukraine invasion weren't encouraging. US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines painted Vladimir Putin as digging in his heels and "preparing for a prolonged conflict," suspecting he'll...

America's Spy Chief Slammed China. China Now Responds

John Ratcliffe's 'WSJ' op-ed was a 'hodgepodge of lies,' per China's foreign ministry rep

(Newser) - In an "exceedingly rare" accusation on Thursday, the US director of national intelligence called China "the greatest threat to America today, and the greatest threat to democracy and freedom worldwide since World War II." China is now responding to John Ratcliffe's op-ed in the Wall Street ...

Spy Chief Issues Rare Condemnation of China
Nation's Spy Chief Just
Unloaded on China
the rundown
Dec 3, 2020 1:47 PM CST

Nation's Spy Chief Just Unloaded on China

DNI John Ratcliffe calls Beijing the greatest threat to democracy since World War II

(Newser) - The nation's top intelligence official just unloaded on China in unusual fashion. "The People’s Republic of China poses the greatest threat to America today, and the greatest threat to democracy and freedom worldwide since World War II," writes director of national intelligence John Ratcliffe in a...

Pelosi: New Intel Policy on Elections Is 'a Betrayal'

Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe sends a letter to lawmakers

(Newser) - Looks like America's top intelligence officer won't be sending anyone to brief Congress about election security anymore—and Nancy Pelosi is less than pleased, CNN reports. Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe notified lawmakers Friday that his office will no longer brief congressional intelligence committees on the hot-button...

Nation Has a New Spy Chief
Nation Has
a New
Spy Chief
May 21, 2020 12:21 PM CDT

Nation Has a New Spy Chief

Senate confirms GOP Rep. John Ratcliffe as director of national intelligence

(Newser) - The Senate on Thursday confirmed Texas Rep. John Ratcliffe as director of national intelligence, though he failed to draw the bipartisan support of his predecessors. Ratcliffe seemed unlikely to get the position when he was nominated in February, as he had already been nominated for the job last year and...

Intelligence Agencies Issue Rare Statement on Coronavirus

They are investigating origins, but don't think it was manmade

(Newser) - It's not often that US spy agencies issue a statement telling everyone what they're working on. But given the competing theories about where in Wuhan the coronavirus originated, and a New York Times report about the Trump administration pressuring the agencies to investigate one of them, the agencies...

Trump Taps New Director of National Intelligence

Texas Republican John Ratcliffe has been up for this post before, amid bipartisan criticism

(Newser) - President Trump on Friday picked Rep. John Ratcliffe to be the nation's top intelligence official, just months after abruptly ending an earlier effort to install him amid bipartisan criticism that the Texas GOPer was unqualified for the post. Trump initially named Ratcliffe for the job last summer, but then...

One Word Being Used to Describe New Intel Chief

Richard Grenell is a Trump 'loyalist'

(Newser) - President Trump picked the man he wants to oversee the nation's 17 spy agencies, and news coverage has a common theme. The New York Times describes Richard Grenell , who is the current ambassador to Germany, as a Trump "loyalist," while CNN has "staunch loyalist," NPR...

Military Bill Forces Statement About Saudi Prince

Intelligence chief must make determination on whether MBS ordered Khashoggi killing

(Newser) - The acting director of national intelligence will have 30 days to present a formal determination on the killers of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi under the military bill passed by the House this week. Though the White House was insistent that punitive measures against the Saudi regime be stripped from...

Intel Chief Backs Whistleblower's Actions

Joseph Maguire testifies before Congress

(Newser) - President Trump has questioned the patriotism of the intelligence official who filed a whistleblower complaint against him, but the acting director of national intelligence feels otherwise. "I think the whistleblower did the right thing," Joseph Maguire said Thursday during testimony before the House Intelligence Committee, per Reuters . "...

Whistleblower Complaint Filed Over Trump Phone Call

House Intelligence chief wants to see 'urgent' complaint

(Newser) - A phone conversation between President Trump and a foreign leader alarmed an intelligence official so much that they filed a formal whistleblower complaint, sources tell the Washington Post . The sources say the complaint filed with the inspector general of the intelligence community involved a "promise" Trump made to the...

Ratcliffe Is Out as Trump Slams 'Lamestream Media'

Trump says the Texas lawmaker chose to bow out

(Newser) - President Trump says he's no longer planning to nominate Rep. John Ratcliffe as his next director of national intelligence, the New York Times reports. Ratcliffe was facing a rocky nomination and apparently chose to bow out; some had questioned whether he had embellished the work he did as a...

Trump's Intelligence Pick Has Rocky Path to Confirmation

Critics say Rep. John Ratcliffe isn't qualified to replace Dan Coats

(Newser) - Rep. John Ratcliffe got perhaps the biggest national exposure of his political career when he grilled Robert Mueller last week with a line of questioning that displayed his staunch support of President Trump. After the Mueller hearings, Ratcliffe got even more exposure when Trump announced that the Texas Republican was...

America's Top Spy Is Calling It Quits: Report

Dan Coats might be replaced by Texas Rep. John Ratcliffe

(Newser) - America's top spy is on the verge of stepping down after clashing with President Trump for the past two years, the New York Times reports. Dan Coats, who became director of national intelligence in 2017, is expected to leave in the next few days. Axios reports that Texas Rep....

Intelligence Chief: N. Korea's WMDs 'Critical to Regime Survival'

National Intelligence Director Dan Coats says it's 'unlikely' Kim Jong Un will entirely give up nukes

(Newser) - In an assessment casting doubt on President Trump's goal of a nuclear-disarmed North Korea, US intelligence agencies told Congress Tuesday the North is unlikely to entirely dismantle its nuclear arsenal. National Intelligence Director Dan Coats, in testimony for the Senate Intelligence Committee, noted leader Kim Jong Un has expressed...

DNI: I Meant No Disrespect to Trump

Dan Coats said his reaction to Putin invite was just 'awkward'

(Newser) - Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats is softening his off-the-cuff reaction last week to news that President Trump had invited Vladimir Putin to the White House, saying he meant no harm. "Some press coverage has mischaracterized my intentions in responding to breaking news presented to me during a live...

Intelligence Chief: Yes, Russia Is Going After the Midterms

Dan Coats, other officials tell Senate panel the threat is very real

(Newser) - This time, nobody can say they weren't warned. The director of national intelligence went to Capitol Hill on Tuesday and made clear that he thinks Russia has big plans to meddle in the 2018 midterms, reports the Wall Street Journal . “We expect Russia to continue using propaganda, social...

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