May 21, 2020

Manchin Statement On Director Of National Intelligence Nomination

Washington, DC – Today U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) released the following statement on opposing the nomination of John Ratcliffe to be the Director of National Intelligence (DNI).

“I believe that the President should have the ability to choose their own Administration officials as long as they are well-qualified for their individual roles, and that is why I have split from most Democrats to support the vast majority of the President’s nominees. For national security positions however, I believe a qualified individual must also demonstrate a capacity to be non-partisan. Unfortunately, I cannot in good conscience vote for Congressman John Ratcliffe to lead our national intelligence community because of his lack of intelligence experience and his history of partisanship as a Member of Congress. Despite these concerns, I remain committed to working with Mr. Ratcliffe and I do hope that he proves me wrong. Our national security community consists of many talented, devoted patriots of both parties, and we must all work to put politics aside and focus on protecting the American people from the evolving foreign and domestic threats facing us today.”