State's Congressional lawmakers praise possible pick of Coats as national intelligence director
- Details
- Published: Monday, 09 January 2017 18:25
INDIANAPOLIS – Hoosier members of Congress congratulated former Indiana Sen. Dan Coats as his name emerged as President-elect Donald Trump’s director of national intelligence Thursday (Jan. 5).
“I can’t think of an individual I trust more to advise the president and direct our intelligence operations than Sen. Coats,” U.S. Sen. Todd Young, R-Indiana, said in a statement. “He deserves all the accolades he will receive in the coming days. This is an excellent pick by President-elect Trump.”
File photo of former U.S. Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind.
U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Indiana, praised the work Coats has done for his state and his country.
“Dan has served Indiana and our country with honor and distinction for more than 35 years, including as a congressman, senator and ambassador,” Donnelly said in a statement. “I am encouraged by reports of Dan’s nomination because he is clear-eyed about the intelligence threats we face, including from Vladimir Putin and Russia. I have full faith in Dan’s ability to lead our nation’s intelligence community and to provide critical counsel to the next commander in chief.”
Coats received his bachelor’s degree in political science from Wheaton College in 1965. After serving in the U.S. Army from 1966 to 1968, Coats earned his Juris Doctor degree from Indiana University in 1971.
Coats put his political science degree into practice when he became a district representative for former U.S. Rep. Dan Quayle in 1976. When Quayle decided to run for the U.S. Senate in 1980, Coats seized the opportunity to run for the vacant House seat and won.
In 1988, when Quayle was elected as former President George H.W. Bush’s vice president, Coats went after his former boss’s seat again and was appointed to complete Quayle’s Senate term.
After completing his term in 1999, Coats returned to private law practice until he was named U.S. ambassador to Germany in 2001, a role he served in until 2005.
Coats then resumed his legal career until he decided to return to the Senate to serve a single six-year term in 2010. However, in 2015, he announced he would not seek re-election.
U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-Indiana, also added her praise of Coats.
“No one is more dedicated to the safety and security of the American people than Senator Dan Coats," she said. "He is a strong addition to President-elect Trump’s national security team, and I am confident my fellow Hoosier will be an excellent leader of our intelligence services as they work to protect our nation from threats around the world.”
Trump has yet to formally nominate Coats for the intelligence role.
Article writer Sarah Ramon is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students. PulaskiPost also contributed information to the article.
