Moments after Rep. John Ratcliffe, R.-Texas, asked the President on Friday to pull his name from consideration as Director of National Intelligence, the name of veteran intelligence expert Fred Fleitz was increasingly heard on Capitol Hill and at the White House as the likely successor to retiring DNI Dan Coats.
Fleitz, president and CEO of the Center for Security Policy, has spent a quarter century in key positions within the intelligence community. Formerly a staffer on the House Intelligence Committee, he has also worked for the CIA and Defense Intelligence Agency.
Fleitz’s resume, several supporters told Newsmax, presents a striking contrast to that of Ratcliffe.
The chief criticism of Ratcliffe from skeptical members of Congress, the intelligence community, and the press was that, except for a brief stint on the House Intelligence Committee, the Texas lawmaker and former U.S. attorney had no background in the intelligence world.
(Speaking to reporters at the White House shortly after he tweeted news of Ratcliffe’s withdrawal, the president insisted that his nominee was “treated very badly” by the press and no Republicans in Congress objected to his being named DNI.)
Aside from Fleitz, the only other possibility mentioned for the intelligence post has been Gen. Joseph Dunford, retired chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
But Dunford, highly regarded in the intelligence community and among members of Congress, is a close friend of fellow Marine Corps Gens. John F. Kelly and James Mattis —Trump’s former White House chief of staff and secretary of defense respectively. This could cause problems for Dunford, since both of his friends parted company with Trump on less-than-friendly terms and are reportedly distrusted by the president.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.