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A year ago, I wrote a column about a prominent example of Hoosier heroism, in the person of then-Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats. At that time, we knew that the president of the United States was resisting Coats’ conclusions regarding Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election and its continued meddling in 2018. I expressed the hope that, despite the views of some that Coats should resign on principle, he would stay and continue to speak truth to power, for the good of the country.
Coats has committed the bulk of his life to public service, including as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and as U.S. ambassador to Germany. His integrity is unassailable.
In January 2017, when Coats assumed the role of director of national intelligence, devotees of both parties felt confidence that a thoughtful, honest person—completely dedicated to our nation’s security—was at the helm. He would be synthesizing the intelligence gathered by 16 separate U.S. intelligence agencies, informing our foreign policy and enhancing our ability to protect our country from those who wish us harm.
The office of the DNI has special significance. It was created after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, to help solve the suddenly obvious problem that in order to protect our homeland, we needed to do a far better job of coordinating the efforts of our intelligence agencies to more swiftly detect and respond to threats to our national security. DNI Coats took this responsibility seriously, and even in the face of resistance from both the president and some members of Congress, he continued to provide honest assessments of the threats facing the country. These included, and continue to include, the clear and irrefutable evidence of Russia’s continuing interference with the U.S. election processes.
Most Americans, understandably, have not read the 448-page Mueller report. However, a review of the report yields the inescapable conclusion that the Russian government was in 2016, and has since continued to be, involved in active interference with and manipulation of the American election process.
I encourage those in doubt to read the indictment brought by a grand jury in 2018 of various Russian actors, who not only hacked into the Democratic National Committee’s computer systems but also actively misled patriotic Americans, manipulating them into engaging in activity during the 2016 presidential campaign that benefited now-President Trump at the expense of his opponent. It lays out with clarity the precise actions taken by specific people and entities, directly connected with the Russian government, that were clearly focused on impacting the votes of Americans who easily fall victim to disinformation on social media and on the internet in general.
As the president made it clear again and again that he refused to accept the findings of the DNI with respect to Russian meddling in U.S. elections, Coats released this rather extraordinary public statement on July 16, 2018, in his official capacity:
“The role of the intelligence community is to provide the best information and fact-based assessments possible for the president and policymakers. We have been clear in our assessments of Russian meddling in the 2018 election and their ongoing, pervasive efforts to undermine our democracy, and we will continue to provide unvarnished and objective intelligence in support of our national security.”
It took another year of presidential and congressional pressure, but Dan Coats finally resigned last month. Our country is much the worse for it, but I wish DNI Coats a well-deserved rest. He has earned the fervent thanks of a grateful nation.•
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Daniels, a partner at Krieg DeVault LLP, is a former U.S. attorney, assistant U.S. attorney general, and president of the Sagamore Institute. Send comments to ibjedit@ibj.com.
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