Carper Statement on Resignation of Dan Coats

Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper released the following statement regarding the announcement that Dan Coats will be stepping down as Director of National Intelligence next month.

“Our country owes D.N.I. Coats a debt of gratitude for his willingness to do a very difficult job at an even more difficult time. I have known Director Coats as both a colleague and a friend for over a quarter of a century. I was fortunate enough to meet then-Congressman Coats when we first served together in the House of Representatives. We parted ways for a few years when I was elected to serve as the Governor of Delaware, and he was tapped to represent our country as the Ambassador to Germany. Eventually, we were lucky enough to serve together again, this time in the U.S. Senate. As someone who knows Dan Coats, I can attest to the fact that he is a highly-principled man who has never been afraid to speak truth to power. He is a true public servant and a man of integrity who consistently puts protecting our national security over politics. Those are the qualities that we should look for and demand in any individual picked to lead our country’s intelligence community and asses the many threats we face around the globe. 

“When President Trump falsely claimed that Russia was no longer interfering in our elections, Dan Coats was not afraid to speak the truth. When President Trump falsely claimed that ISIS had been defeated, Dan Coats was not afraid to speak the truth. When President Trump falsely claimed that North Korea was giving up its nuclear weapons and that Iran was working to acquire a nuclear weapon, Dan Coats was not afraid to speak the truth. What’s more, at a time when the Commander-in-Chief routinely attacks our own intelligence officers – the men and women we rely on around the world to keep us safe – Dan Coats was their advocate, publicly defending their work and their findings. 

“Just last week, Bob Mueller made clear, once again, that the Russians are continuing to work right now to undermine our elections. But still, the President denies the interference, and Leader McConnell continues to refuse to take up common sense, bipartisan election security bills to protect our democratic institutions. I fear that Director Coats’ resignation creates an even larger vacuum in this Administration that leaves our country increasingly vulnerable to attacks. Any individual nominated to replace Director Coats must be able to speak truth to power and put protecting our country from foreign interference over partisanship.”