Trump chooses Russia expert as intelligence director

US President-elect Donald Trump has just chosen former Senator Dan Coats, who has extensive knowledge of Europe and Russia, as director of national intelligence.

Mr. Coats, a former US ambassador to Germany under President George W. Bush, has been chosen by Mr. Trump to head the national intelligence agency, Reuters reported today, citing two senior officials in the president-elect's transition team.

Former US ambassador to Germany Dan Coats has been chosen as director of national intelligence. Photo: Reuters

Former Senator Coats, 73, is a traditional conservative from Indiana who served on the US Senate Intelligence Committee.

A Democratic official said Coats knows Europe and Russia well and may disagree with Trump on Moscow. But some intelligence officials welcomed Coats’s selection for the job and hoped it would signal Trump’s efforts to mend ties with the intelligence community after months of antagonism over Russia’s alleged interference in the U.S. presidential election.

Richard Burr, chairman of the US Senate Intelligence Committee, said that Mr. Coats "would be an excellent choice" because he has the experience, leadership skills of an ambassador and has worked on the committee to understand this role.

Mr. Coats is a strong defender of government surveillance programs and is also a Republican who approved a report supporting the CIA's use of harsh interrogation techniques on detainees held in secret prisons overseas.

A source close to Trump's transition team said the job of intelligence director had been expected to go to Chris Christie, the governor of New Jersey, but he turned it down.

According to VNE