US Congress(WASHINGTON) — Former Sen. Dan Coats of Indiana is a leading candidate for Director of National Intelligence in Donald Trump’s administration, according to three senior Trump transition officials.
Coats, 73, made a visit to Trump Tower late last year and said at the time that he was not seeking a position. He was a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee during his term, which ended this year after he decided not to seek re-election. The Republican is also a former U.S. ambassador to Germany under President George W Bush.
The consideration of Coats comes as a senior Trump transition official told ABC New that Trump and his team are mulling an overhaul of the DNI, which Trump spokesman Sean Spicer denied on Thursday.
The DNI was created after 9/11 to coordinate the nation’s intelligence gathering and analysis groups.
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