BREAKING: Rep. Ratcliffe Out as Trump’s Pick For Director of National Intelligence

Less than a week after announcing Congressman John Ratcliffe as his nominee for Director of National Intelligence, President Donald Trump has announced Ratcliffe is out.

Trump tweeted that Ratcliffe “is being treated very unfairly by the LameStream Media” and claimed that Ratcliffe decided to remain in Congress after “I explained to John how miserable it would be for him and his family to deal with these people”:

Our great Republican Congressman John Ratcliffe is being treated very unfairly by the LameStream Media. Rather than going through months of slander and libel, I explained to John how miserable it would be for him and his family to deal with these people….

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 2, 2019

….John has therefore decided to stay in Congress where he has done such an outstanding job representing the people of Texas, and our Country. I will be announcing my nomination for DNI shortly.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 2, 2019

Ratcliffe himself tweeted a statement saying, “I do not wish for a national security and intelligence debate surrounding my confirmation, however untrue, to become a purely political and partisan issue. The country we all love deserves that it be treated as an American issue.”

While I am and will remain very grateful to the President for his intention to nominate me as Director of National Intelligence, I am withdrawing from consideration.

— John Ratcliffe (@RepRatcliffe) August 2, 2019

I was humbled and honored that the President put his trust in me to lead our nation’s intelligence operations and remain convinced that when confirmed, I would have done so with the objectivity, fairness and integrity that our intelligence agencies need and deserve.

— John Ratcliffe (@RepRatcliffe) August 2, 2019

However, I do not wish for a national security and intelligence debate surrounding my confirmation, however untrue, to become a purely political and partisan issue. The country we all love deserves that it be treated as an American issue.

— John Ratcliffe (@RepRatcliffe) August 2, 2019

Accordingly, I have asked the President to nominate someone other than me for this position.

— John Ratcliffe (@RepRatcliffe) August 2, 2019

Ratcliffe’s came under scrutiny this week following the president’s announcement, with several reports coming out on how he exaggerated certain parts of his resumé.