House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is criticizing President Donald Trump’s nomination of Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) for director of national intelligence.
On Friday, Pelosi responded to the nomination, writing in a statement, “Intelligence should never be guided by partisanship or politics. Unfortunately, Congressman Ratcliffe has shown an unacceptable embrace of conspiracy theories and a clear disrespect and distrust of our law enforcement and intelligence patriots that disqualify him from leading America’s intelligence community.”
She added:
“Last summer, this nomination was withdrawn after revelations about Congressman Ratcliffe’s clear lack of qualifications and many misleading statements about his resume. The President is now ignoring these many serious outstanding concerns and letting politics, not patriotism, guide our national security.”
Intelligence should never be guided by partisanship or politics. Rep. John Ratcliffe’s embrace of conspiracy theories and distrust of law enforcement & intelligence patriots disqualify him from leading America’s intel community. https://t.co/8vQeOlSD94
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) February 29, 2020
Pelosi’s statement came shortly after Trump announced Ratcliff’s nomination.
As previously reported on IJR, Trump took to Twitter with the announcement and explained why it hadn’t come sooner.
“I am pleased to announce the nomination of [Rep. John Ratcliffe] to be Director of National Intelligence (DNI),” Trump tweeted. “Would have completed process earlier, but John wanted to wait until after IG Report was finished. John is an outstanding man of great talent!”
I am pleased to announce the nomination of @RepRatcliffe (Congressman John Ratcliffe) to be Director of National Intelligence (DNI). Would have completed process earlier, but John wanted to wait until after IG Report was finished. John is an outstanding man of great talent!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 28, 2020
The latest announcement is Trump’s second attempt to nominate Ratcliffe for the directorial position.
Last summer, he did so and was met with opposition from Democratic lawmakers who argued that Ratliffe wasn’t qualified for the position — the same stance Pelosi is reiterating now.
Around the same time, Ratcliffe was also one of the critics who defended Trump during now-former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s House Judiciary Committee hearing.
During Trump’s impeachment trial, Ratcliffe also served on the defense team. He wrote in a statement of Trump’s acquittal in the Senate, “History will reflect this as a resounding rebuke of House Democrats’ partisan efforts to remove a sitting president from office for their own political gain.”