In a vote of 85-12, the Senate confirmed Sen. Dan Coats (R-IN) as President Trump's director of national intelligence on Wednesday. He will be leading the 16 agencies that comprise the intelligence community.
Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee seemed confident in Trump's choice.
"Dan's intellect, his judgement, his honorable service and his commitment to the work force make him a natural fit as director of national intelligence," Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-NC) said. "I have absolute trust that he will lead the community with integrity."
Trump has butted heads with the intelligence community in the past few months, particularly over claims that his campaign had contact with Russia. When the CIA, for instance, suggested that Russia had interfered in the election, the president dismissed the report, noting that this was the same agency who erroneously thought Iraq was harboring weapons of mass destruction.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member