President Donald Trump announced Friday that Rep. John Ratcliffe would not be his nominee as the Director of National Intelligence.
The president blamed the media for raising concerns about the nomination.
“Our great Republican Congressman John Ratcliffe is being treated very unfairly by the LameStream Media,” he wrote on Twitter.
The president announced last week that current DNI Dan Coats would resign and that Ratcliffe would take his place.
But media reports focused on his claims as a prosecutor of federal terrorism, saying he overstated his credentials and resumé.
Other critics painted him as a partisan defender of the president, rather than a serious and independent pick for leading the intelligence agencies.
But Trump said Tuesday he was encouraged by Ratcliffe’s approach.
“We need somebody strong that can really rein it in, because as I think you’ve all learned, the intelligence agencies have run amok,” he told reporters as he left the White House.
The president’s nomination has to be confirmed by the Senate, but members of both parties signaled opposition to the nomination.
Trump said he urged Ratcliffe not to go forward.
“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 said. “John has therefore decided to stay in Congress where he has done such an outstanding job representing the people of Texas, and our Country.”
Ratcliffe confirmed on Twitter that he had withdrawn his name from consideration.
Trump said that he would announce a new nominee for the DNI position soon.
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