“There has never been a president as tough on Russia as I have been,” Trump told reporters before a Cabinet meeting at the White House.The president said his administration is “doing very well” in handling Russia.But in the same breath, Trump said “no” when asked if Russia still poses a threat to the U.S.
Understated but forceful, Mr. Coats has emerged as the public defender for the intelligence agencies he oversees, supporting their conclusions about Russia’s election meddling in the face of President Trump’s skepticism, including his extraordinary comments on Monday challenging the agencies’ assessment of Moscow’s interference.
Mr. Coats generated quiet cheers from current and former intelligence officers for his insistence that the agencies are offering facts and honest analysis, not political judgments.
It is a high-wire act. To be effective, Mr. Coats cannot be seen by Mr. Trump as blocking or contradicting him, though the president has long complained about the intelligence agencies. But his role is to avoid politics and present fact-based conclusions, and any intelligence chief who strays from that will lose the confidence of the analysts, officers and agents who work for the sprawling national security establishment.
