Editing Dan Coats (section)

=== Director of National Intelligence (2017–2019)===
[[File:Dan Coats swearing in.jpg|thumb|Coats being sworn in as Director of National Intelligence by Vice President [[Mike Pence]] on March 16, 2017]]
On January 5, 2017, Coats was announced as then-[[President-elect of the United States|President]]-elect Donald Trump's nominee for the [[Cabinet of the United States|Cabinet-level]] position of Director of National Intelligence, to succeed the outgoing [[James R. Clapper]].<ref name="DNIN" /> His confirmation hearing was held on February 28, 2017, by the [[United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence|United States Senate Intelligence Committee]], which approved his nomination on March 9, 2017, with a 13–2 vote.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fox59.com/2017/02/28/former-sen-dan-coats-to-face-question-on-capitol-hill-during-nomination-hearing-for-director-of-national-intelligence/|title=Former Sen. Dan Coats to face questions during nomination hearing for director of national intelligence|publisher=Fox59 |author=Matt Smith|access-date=March 10, 2017|date=February 28, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Advance">{{cite web |author=Matt McKinney |date=March 9, 2017 |title=Former U.S. Sen. Dan Coats' nomination as director of national intelligence advances to full Senate |url=http://www.theindychannel.com/news/politics/former-us-sen-dan-coats-dni-nomination-advances-to-full-senate |access-date=March 10, 2017 |publisher=The Indy Channel}}</ref> The Senate confirmed his nomination with an 85–12 vote on March 15, 2017, and he was sworn into office on March 16, 2017.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-03-16/dan-coats-sworn-in-as-national-intelligence-director|title=Dan Coats Sworn in as National Intelligence Director|date=March 16, 2017|website=Bloomberg.com|access-date=May 22, 2017}}</ref>

On July 16, 2018, Coats released a statement affirming the consensus of the [[United States Intelligence Community]] (IC) that the [[Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections|Russian government interfered]] in the [[2016 United States presidential election|2016 U.S. presidential election]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dni.gov/index.php/newsroom/press-releases/item/1888-statement-from-dni-coats|title=Statement from DNI Coats|website=Dni.gov|language=en-gb|access-date=July 17, 2018|archive-date=July 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180717024045/https://www.dni.gov/index.php/newsroom/press-releases/item/1888-statement-from-dni-coats|url-status=dead}}</ref> a day after the [[2018 Russia–United States summit]] where President Trump recanted his endorsement of the IC's assessment.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/16/politics/donald-trump-putin-helsinki-summit/index.html|title=Trump sides with Putin over US intelligence|author-link=Jeremy Diamond (journalist)|first=Jeremy |last=Diamond|website=Cnn.com|access-date=July 17, 2018}}</ref>

On September 6, 2018, Director Coats denied that he had authored the anonymous [[I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration|op-ed piece from a senior Trump Administration official]] that criticized the President which had been published by ''[[The New York Times]]'' the day prior. The day before, [[MSNBC]] host [[Lawrence O'Donnell]] speculated that Coats was the author of the guest essay, which was later revealed to have been written by then-[[United States Department of Homeland Security]] Chief of Staff [[Miles Taylor (security expert)|Miles Taylor]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/06/nyt-op-ed-pence-pompeo-809125|title=Trump officials race to deny they authored 'resistance' op-ed|website=Politico.com|date=September 6, 2018 |access-date=July 1, 2022}}</ref>

[[File:Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, 2018.jpg|thumb|right|Coats in 2018]]
Coats released the DNI's "Worldwide Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community" on January 29, 2019, listing the major threats to the United States. The reports states that the "international system is coming under increasing strain amid continuing cyber and WMD proliferation threats, competition in space, and regional conflicts. Among the disturbing trends are hostile states and actors' intensifying online efforts to influence and interfere with elections here and abroad and their use of chemical weapons. Terrorism too will continue to be a top threat to US and partner interests worldwide, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.<ref group="Notes">Terrorists groups listed in order are Sunni Violent Extremists, ISIS, [[Al-Qaeda]], Homegrown Violent Extremists, Shia Actors, Lebanese Hizballah, Violent Ethno-supremacist and Ultranationalist Groups (pp. 10–13).</ref> The development and application of new technologies will introduce both risks and opportunities, and the US economy will be challenged by slower global economic growth and growing threats to U.S. economic competitiveness." In the report, Coats also highlighted the potential negative impacts to US national security as a result of climate change, with this statement: "The United States will probably have to manage the impact of global human security challenges, such as threats to public health, historic levels of human displacement, assaults on religious freedom, and the
negative effects of environmental degradation and climate change."<ref name="DNI">{{Cite report| series =Climate and Security |title=Worldwide Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community |date=February 13, 2018| access-date = February 24, 2018| url = https://www.dni.gov/files/documents/Newsroom/Testimonies/2018-ATA---Unclassified-SSCI.pdf |work=Director of National Intelligence}}</ref>{{rp|4}}

[[File:President Trump Holds a Meeting in the Oval Office (32007462457).jpg|thumb|right|Coats in a meeting with [[President of the United States|President]] [[Donald Trump]], [[John Bolton]], and [[Gina Haspel]], January 2019]]
Reporting to Congress in January 2019, the subject advised that Russia acting in concert with their allies will use novel strategies that build on their previous experience in [[Foreign electoral intervention|election meddling]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Mak|first=Tim|date=2019-01-29|title=Spy Boss Coats Warns That Russia, Others Plot New Interference Techniques For 2020 |work=NPR|url=https://www.npr.org/2019/01/29/689636708/spy-boss-coats-warns-russia-others-plot-new-interference-techniques-for-2020|access-date=2023-01-01}}</ref> In July 2019, Coats appointed an election security "czar," [[Shelby Pierson]], to oversee efforts across intelligence agencies. She is the first to have that role.<ref name="npr.org">{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2019/07/19/743567568/director-of-national-intelligence-dan-coats-appoints-new-election-security-czar|title=Director Of National Intelligence Dan Coats Appoints New Election Security Czar|newspaper=NPR|date=July 19, 2019|language=en|access-date=2019-07-23|last1=Ewing|first1=Philip}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://homelandprepnews.com/stories/34914-pierson-appointed-as-newly-established-ic-election-threats-executive/|title=Pierson appointed as newly established IC Election Threats Executive|date=2019-07-23|website=Homeland Preparedness News|access-date=2019-07-23}}</ref> Coats also directed other intelligence agencies to appoint executives to coordinate election security.<ref name="npr.org" />

During his tenure Coats sometimes took public positions that conflicted with Trump's statements or actions. Areas of disagreement included Russia, and particularly Russia's interference in the 2016 election, as well as North Korea and Iran. On July 28, 2019, following multiple anonymous reports that he was about to be let go, Trump announced on Twitter that Coats would depart on August 15 and that he would nominate U.S. Representative [[John Ratcliffe (American politician)|John Ratcliffe]] (R-Texas) to replace him as Director of National Intelligence.<ref name="Steve Holland, Jeff Mason" /><ref name="step" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/28/us/politics/dan-coats-intelligence-chief-out.html|title=Dan Coats to Step Down as Intelligence Chief; Trump Picks Loyalist for Job|last1=Haberman|first1=Maggie|date=2019-07-28|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-08-18|last2=Barnes|first2=Julian E.|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|last3=Baker|first3=Peter}}</ref>

Later, it was revealed that Trump had spoken by phone to Ukrainian President [[Volodymyr Zelenskyy]] on July 25, three days before Trump fired Coats. (Trump was [[First impeachment of Donald Trump|impeached for pressuring Ukraine]].) When the Ukraine scandal came to light, some speculated that Coats's firing had been related to the Ukraine phone call.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Borger |first=Julian |date=September 28, 2019 |title=Trump's Ukraine call sparks new questions over intelligence chief's firing |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/sep/27/dan-coats-dni-trump-firing-ukraine |access-date=3 January 2024 |website=[[TheGuardian.com]]}}</ref>