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ASPEN, Colorado – Dan Coats' critics against Russia clash with President Donald Trump's pro-Kremlin remarks, leaving the spy chief with an uncomfortable – and perhaps perilous – voice in the administration [19659002] Trump's remarks after Wednesday's cabinet meeting, where he seemed to deny that the long-time US foe was still targeting the US elections, are only the latest in a growing list of statements that are in the air. conflict with Coats. His job is to share the work of the 17 intelligence agencies he oversees with the president.
Coats, who will speak Thursday at a conference on national security in Aspen, Colorado, is a former Republican lawmaker. He was banned from traveling to Russia in 2014 for calling for the annexation of Crimea, and he has continued to alert Russia since his appointment by Trump as chief of intelligence services in March 2017. [19659004TrumpwasdeterminedtoforgeclosertieswithRussianPresidentVladimirPutinculminatinginthisweek'sextraordinarysummitinHelsinkiThedisconnectwithCoatswasunveiledafterTrumpsparkedoutragebygivingcredittoRussia'srefusalofinterferenceinthe2016USelectionsashestoodalongsidePutin
In Washington, Coats promptly issued a statement Monday to refute stance. He reiterated the US intelligence assessment of Russian interference and "their ongoing and ubiquitous efforts to undermine our democracy."
Former intelligence officials say that Coats just says the truth to power, a mantra often used to describe the historical relationship of intelligence agencies. any president. But in the Trump administration, Coats could enter a minefield, given the president's track record in firing officials who do not respect his line.
Michael Morell, former vice president and acting director of the CIA, said Trump's administration security officials do their job, and the president mines them and the institutions they run when He makes inaccurate statements.
"By doing this, the president undermines our national security," Morell said.
Trump retracted his comments from the post-Putin summit on Tuesday, saying that he would have been misquoted when he said that he saw no reason why Russia had interfered in the 2016 elections He also said that he accepted the conclusion of Russian interference by intelligence agencies. But he added: "It could also be other people.Many people there."
The president's mixed messenger became even more confused on Wednesday. It was asked if Russia was still targeting the United States and answered "no" – a statement that Morell disputed was "false" because the Russians have never stopped trying to. interfere in American democracy. Sanders later said that Trump believes that Russia could try to target the US elections again and the "threat still exists".
When asked in a CBS News interview whether Trump agrees with Coats, the Russian threat he did.
"Well, I accept, I mean, he's an expert, that's what he does, he's doing a very good job, I really believe in Dan Coats, and if he says so, I will accept it.I will tell you however, it's better not to be. "Trump had a tense relationship with US intelligence agencies before being elected, largely because of their finding that Putin ordered "an influence campaign" in 2016 to help the Trump campaign and wounding his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton.
Earlier in the administration, Coats' voice was stifled by the most outspoken, Mike Pompeo, who was director of the CIA before Trump patted him as secretary of state. Now, with Pompeo at the head of the state department, Coats has been in the spotlight as the voice of the intelligence community. Thursday in Aspen, it should describe the threats that the United States is putting on Russia as well as on other countries like China, North Korea and Iran
. He served in the House in the 1980s and in the Senate in the 1990s and 2010s and served as US Ambassador to Germany from 2001 to 2005. In 2014, Coats, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, denounced the Russian interference in eastern Ukraine. He was expelled from Russia
Coats blew: "Our summer vacation in Siberia is a no-go," he joked.
Yet, Coats is not known to be casual. He is proud to be a stable voice, but it is clear that he is not a fan of Russia.
In comments to a Washington think tank last week, he said: "The Russian bear … came out of the cave, starving and he added that the" pluses "are the cyber threats that are targeting the US government and companies in the fields of energy, nuclear, water, aviation and aviation, critical areas of manufacturing.He said that although there has been no election interference detected in 2016, "we are fully aware that we are only at a click on a keyboard, far from it." a similar situation repeating itself. "
The Trump-Putin summit – and it was not the first time that Coats made statements at odds with his boss
On June 8, Trump suggested to a At the summit in Canada that Russia was invited to join the organization of the G7 of the industrialized countries, Coats was making a speech in Normandy, France. These included political hacking in France, Germany and Norway, a damaging cyberassassade over Ukraine, and the alleged attempt of Russian agents to kill two people in Britain with a nerve agent
"These Russian actions are intentional and premeditated – Attack by Russian President Vladimir Putin on the rule of law, Western ideals and democratic norms, "he said.
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