INTELLIGENCE/SENATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump denied Wednesday [2-10-19] that he is considering firing Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, despite several reports that the president is frustrated with the chief intelligence official…The president’s comments came after reports that Trump was fuming and ‘enraged’ over Coats’ remarks during a hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee last month during which he broke with the president on several critical foreign policy fronts. Coats told lawmakers that North Korea is “unlikely to completely give up its nuclear weapons and production capabilities.” Trump is meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un next week in Vietnam, where the two will continue to discuss a path toward denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. The U.S. intelligence chief also appeared to contradict the president’s stance on Iran and ISIS. Coats noted that Iran is not yet seeking a nuclear weapon, despite Trump consistently saying that it is. In addition, Coats said that the Islamic State terrorist group remains a forceful presence in Iraq and Syria, even as the president is preparing to withdraw troops in the region.”
–Rebecca Morin, “Trump says he hasn’t thought about firing intel chief Coats,” Politico, February 20, 2019 3:02 pm