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The Kremlin was not a fan of Daniel Coats.
It was March 2014, and relations between the United States and Russia were drowning. Earlier in the year, Russian military forces attacked Crimea, illegally annexing part of Ukraine to a geopolitical looting denounced by Western countries. In retaliation, the Obama administration has ordered new economic sanctions. In retaliation, the Kremlin announced a list of US officials banned from entering Russia. Blacklisted Congressmen, including the then Speaker of the House, John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) And Senator Daniel Coats (R-Ind.), then a member of the Senate. Intelligence Committee calls for a firm response against Crimea incursion
Coats – a respected Washington appointment that was appointed by a Senate colleague as "Mister Rogers" of the chamber – swept the Russian ban with a pinch of Midwestern humor.
"Although I am disappointed at not being able to go on vacation with my family to Siberia this summer, I am honored to be on this list," said the senator of Indiana in a statement. . Post reported at the time. "The recent attack on Putin is unacceptable and America must join our European allies to isolate and punish Russia."
Four years later, Coats, now director of national intelligence, pushes back a Russian program, a position that In the wake of President Trump's summit this week with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the White House has been submerged contradictory messages, at best, about the fact that Trump thinks that Russian agents have interfered in the elections of 2016.
But in the midst of voices clashing, Coats hit a clear and strong note. On Monday, following President Putin's press conference in Helsinki, Coats replied that the intelligence community had been "clear in its assessments of Russian interference".
On Thursday, Coats admitted that he would have advised against the face-to-face meeting between Trump and Putin – but he had not been consulted. In front of a crowd of elite stars, journalists, government officials and academics, Coats made no effort to pretend that he was not stunned by the new, that he had not heard, that the administration was planning to invite Putin to Washington in
"This is going to be special," says Coats almost mockingly to the audience's laughter.
This week's commentary highlights that Coats, as Trump's internal reality check on Russian interference, is increasingly contradicting Trump's own feelings. The collision between the voice of the reason for the administration and the unstable president has sparked speculation that Coats can not be long for the administration.
The situation of Coats is all the more precarious as it sits at the top of the country's intelligence system. a dozen agencies regularly castigated by Trump and his supporters as "deep state".
The Indiana Republican has ticked off several government roles in his decades public service career – including House Member, Senator, Ambassador and Lobbyist
A Michigan native, Mr. Coats served two years in the US Army Corp Engineers before arriving in Indiana for a law school. In the 1970s, he went to work for then Rep. Dan Quayle (R-Ind.), After the future vice president in Washington. In 1980, Coats won the Quayle & # 39; s House neighborhood; When Quayle moved to the White House in 1988, Coats was appointed to occupy his seat in the Senate. He was then elected alone until 1999.
During the administration of George W. Bush, Coats was appointed US Ambassador to Germany, holding the position a few weeks before the attacks of 11 September that sparked the global war on terror. In May 2004, Coats was tasked with one of the most touching aspects of foreign diplomacy related to these far-reaching conflicts. As reported by the Post's Dana Priest in 2005, the ambassador was sent to explain to the German authorities that US secret service agents had illegally imprisoned a German national in a secret action. The Coats had to urge the Germans to keep the situation quiet, to prevent other operations from being exposed.
Coats was re-elected to the Senate in 2010, where he established himself as a social and tax conservative – his "waste of the week" House speeches have highlighted excessive government spending. But Coats' discreet manner also inspired bipartisan respect, particularly with his work on the Intelligence Committee.
"I've always thought that he should be wearing a red cardigan," Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) Told The New York Times in 2017. "He was the closest thing to Mister Rogers that we could find. "
"He's not a fierce supporter and knows the intelligence community," Angus King (I-Maine) told The Times. "He is very friendly and easy to work with."
Coats was not an early supporter of Trump. He first supported Sen Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) In 2016. Yet when the Trump administration announced that Coats had been chosen for high-level intelligence work, the news was approved by members of both parties. I've worked with Dan, I have a lot of respect for him, he was a great member of the Intelligence Committee, he obviously has a track record as well as a foreign ambassador, "he said. Senator Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) Poster. "The only concern I have, and which is not specific to Daniel Coats, but to all the elected president's candidates in this field, is that the job of telling the truth to power is the primary responsibility d & # 39; Intel ".
In the 2016 Presidential Contest, he continuously followed Coats' mandate as Director of National Intelligence. In remarks prepared during his confirmation hearing, Coats spoke clearly about Putin's global threat.
"Russia's assertion in world affairs is something that I consider with great concern, that we must approach with great skepticism." He said. Pressed by members of the Intelligence Committee, Coats said he supported a comprehensive investigation into the Russian influence on the election.
"I think it's something that needs to be studied and addressed," said the candidate. national intelligence, Coats repeatedly addressed Trump and possible collusion. In May 2017, The Post reported that the President had asked Mr. Coats and Adm. Michael S. Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency, publicly denies a link between Russian activities and the 2016 elections. Both officials refused to comply, The Post reported. Neither Coats nor Rogers answered the questions on the exchange when they were interviewed by the Intelligence Committee in June
"This is not because it is published in the Washington Post that he is now unclassified, "Coats told the committee. "There is no doubt that Russia considers its past efforts to be successful and considers the mid-term elections of 2018 as a potential target for Russian mid-term operations," Coats told the Congress. February
And he reiterated the threat this week with his reprimanded comments from the Trump press conference. Speaking with Mitchell in Aspen on Thursday, Coats explained his thoughts.
"I just thought at that time that what we had evaluated, reassessed and reassessed, and carefully spent, is still valid," he said. "And that it was important to defend this position on behalf of the intelligence community and on behalf of the American people."
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