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Aug. 2 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump announced Friday that Rep. John Ratcliffe withdrew his name as nominee for director of national intelligence. Trump cited media scrutiny as the reason for the Texas Republican's decision to remain in the House.
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"Our great Republican Congressman John Ratcliffe is being treated very unfairly by the LameStream Media. Rather than going through months of slander and libel, I explained to John how miserable it would be for him and his family to deal with these people," Trump tweeted.
"John has therefore decided to stay in Congress where he has done such an outstanding job representing the people of Texas, and our Country."
Trump said he will announce his new nominee for the position "shortly."
On Sunday, the president announced Dan Coats was stepping down as the director of national intelligence Aug. 15. Coats served in the role since 2017 after the Senate approved his nomination by a vote of 85-12.
The position of director of national intelligence was created in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks as a means of fostering inter-agency dialogue and cooperation among the 16 agencies that make up the U.S. intelligence-gathering network.
Ratcliffe, 53, has served as the U.S. representative for Texas' 4th District since 2015 and serves on the House Committee on Intelligence.
He previously worked as a U.S. attorney and federal terrorism prosecutor and as mayor of the city of Heath, Texas.
