Dan Coats

Dan Coats
5th Director of National Intelligence
Assumed office
March 16, 2017
President Donald Trump
Deputy Susan M. Gordon
Preceded by James Clapper
Chair of the Joint Economic Committee
In office
January 3, 2015 – January 3, 2017
Preceded by Kevin Brady
Succeeded by Pat Tiberi
United States Senator
from Indiana
In office
January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2017
Preceded by Evan Bayh
Succeeded by Todd Young
In office
January 3, 1989 – January 3, 1999
Appointed by Robert D. Orr
Preceded by Dan Quayle
Succeeded by Evan Bayh
United States Ambassador to Germany
In office
August 15, 2001 – February 28, 2005
President George W. Bush
Preceded by John C. Kornblum
Succeeded by William R. Timken
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Indiana's 4th district
In office
January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1989
Preceded by Dan Quayle
Succeeded by Jill Long Thompson
Personal details
Born Daniel Ray Coats
(1943-05-16) May 16, 1943
Jackson, Michigan, U.S.
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Marsha Coats
Children 3
Education Wheaton College, Illinois (BA)
Indiana University, Indianapolis (JD)
Military service
Allegiance  United States
Service/branch  United States Army
Years of service 1966–1968
Rank Staff sergeant

Daniel Ray Coats (born May 16, 1943) is an American politician and former diplomat serving as the fifth and current Director of National Intelligence since 2017 under the Trump Administration. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a United States Senator from Indiana from 1989 to 1999 and again from 2011 to 2017. He was the United States Ambassador to Germany from 2001 to 2005, and was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1981 to 1989. Coats served on the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence while in the U.S. Senate.

Born in Jackson, Michigan, Coats graduated from Wheaton College in Illinois and Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. He served in the U.S. Army (1966–1968). Before serving in the U.S. Senate, Coats was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Indiana's 4th congressional district from 1981 to 1989. He was appointed to fill the Senate seat vacated by Dan Quayle following Quayle's election as Vice President of the United States. Coats won the 1990 special election to serve the remainder of Quayle's unexpired term, as well as the 1992 election for a full six-year term. He did not seek reelection in 1998 and was succeeded by Democrat Evan Bayh.

After retiring from the Senate, Coats served as the U.S. Ambassador to Germany from 2001 to 2005 and then worked as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C. He was reelected to the Senate by a large margin in 2010, succeeding Bayh, who announced his own retirement shortly after Coats declared his candidacy. Coats declined to run for reelection in 2016 and was succeeded by Todd Young.

On January 5, 2017, Coats was announced as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for the post of Director of National Intelligence, to succeed James R. Clapper.[1] His term in office commenced on March 16, 2017.

Early life, education and career

Coats was born in Jackson, Michigan, the son of Vera (Nora) Elisabeth (née Swanlund) and Edward Raymond Coats. His father was of English and German descent, and his maternal grandparents emigrated from Sweden.[2] Coats attended local public schools, and graduated from Jackson High School in 1961. He then studied at Wheaton College in Illinois, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1965. At Wheaton, he was an active student athlete on the soccer team. He served in the United States Army Corps of Engineers from 1966 to 1968, and earned a Juris Doctor from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law in Indianapolis in 1972, where he was also the associate editor of the Indiana Law Review.[3][4] He also served as assistant vice president of a Fort Wayne life insurance company.

U.S. House of Representatives

Dan Coats as a first-term Congressman in 1981

From 1976 to 1980, Coats worked for then-U.S. Representative Dan Quayle, a Republican from Indiana's 4th congressional district, as Quayle's district representative. When Quayle decided to challenge three-term Democratic incumbent Birch Bayh in the 1980 U.S. Senate election, Coats ran for and won Quayle's seat in the U.S. House.

U.S. Senate

Senator Coats visiting Mobile Army Surgical Hospital in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1996

When Quayle resigned from the Senate after being elected Vice President of the United States in 1988, Coats was appointed to Quayle’s former seat. Coats was subsequently elected to the seat in 1990 and 1992. Coats declined to run for a second full term in 1998. He served in the Senate until January 1999, at which time he was succeeded by Evan Bayh. Coats announced on February 3, 2010, he would run[5] for his old Senate seat and on February 16, 2010, Bayh announced his intention to retire.[6] Coats went on to win the seat. In March 2015 he announced that he would not run for re-election in 2016. He served on the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.[7]

Political positions

Gun laws

On multiple occasions, Coats has supported gun control measures. In 1991, he voted in favor of the Biden-Thurmond Violent Crime Control Act of 1991. This act, which did not become law, would have created a waiting period for handgun purchases and placed a ban on assault weapons.[8] Subsequently, he supported the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act that President Clinton signed into law in 1993.[9] The legislation imposed a waiting period before a handgun could be transferred to an individual by a licensed dealer, importer, or manufacturer. This waiting period ended when the computerized instant check system came online. Coats also supported Feinstein Amendment 1152 to the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1993.[10] The purpose of the Feinstein Amendment was to "restrict the manufacture, transfer, and possession of certain semiautomatic assault weapons and large capacity ammunition feeding devices".[11]

In April 2013, Coats was one of forty-six senators to vote against passage of a bill which would have expanded background checks for gun buyers. Coats voted with 40 Republicans and 5 Democrats to stop the passage of the bill.[12]

Taxes

In 1995, Coats introduced S. 568: Family, Investment, Retirement, Savings, and Tax Fairness Act[13] which would provide "family tax credits, increase national savings through individual retirement plus accounts, indexing for inflation the income thresholds for taxing social security benefits, etc".[14] The bill did not become law.

LGBT issues

In 1993, Coats emerged as an opponent of President Clinton's effort to allow LGBT individuals to serve openly in the armed forces.[15] Coats was one of the authors of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy and opposed its 2011 repeal. He does not support same-sex marriage but opposes interference with "alternative lifestyles".[16]

Russia

Coats pressed President Barack Obama to punish Russia harshly for its March 2014 annexation of Crimea.[17] For this stance, the Russian government banned Coats and several other U.S. lawmakers from traveling to Russia.[17][18]

Iran and Iraq

Coats supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq under the pretext of uncovering Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.[19]

Coats opposed the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers – the U.S., U.K., Russia, France, China, and Germany.[20] He described Iran as the foremost "state sponsor of terrorism".[21]

Other

Coats with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, September 3, 2017

Coats co-sponsored, with former Senators Edward M. Kennedy, Christopher Dodd, and James Jeffords, S.2206: Coats Human Services Reauthorization Act of 1998. This bill, which was enacted into law, "amended the Head Start Act, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981, and the Community Services Block Grant Act... in order to provide an opportunity for persons with limited means to accumulate assets."[22]

In 1996, Coats co-sponsored the Line Item Veto Act of 1996, which President Clinton signed into law. The bill allowed the President to "rewrit[e] legislation by vetoing single items of spending or specific tax breaks approved by Congress."[23] In June 1998, The Supreme Court of the United States declared the law unconstitutional in Clinton v. City of New York in a 6–3 decision.

Coats made headlines in August 1998, when he publicly questioned the timing of President Bill Clinton's cruise missile attacks on Afghanistan and Sudan, suggesting they might be linked to the Lewinsky scandal: "While there is clearly much more we need to learn about this attack and why it was ordered today, given the president’s personal difficulties this week, it is legitimate to question the timing of this action."[24]

Between U.S. Senate tenures

Official portrait of Senator Coats, 2011

Coats worked as Special Counsel member in the firm Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson and Hand in 2000 and 2001. In 2001, Coats was reportedly one of George W. Bush’s top choices to be Secretary of Defense, a job eventually given to Donald Rumsfeld who had previously held the post under President Gerald Ford.

From August 15, 2001, to February 28, 2005, Coats was the United States Ambassador to Germany.[25][26] As ambassador during the lead-up to the Iraq War, he pressured the German government not to oppose the war, threatening worsened US relations with Germany.[19] As Ambassador he also played a critical role in establishing robust relations with then opposition leader Angela Merkel and in the construction of a new United States Embassy in the heart of Berlin next to the Brandenburg Gate.[27]

In 2005, Coats drew attention when he was chosen by President George W. Bush to shepherd Harriet Miers's failed nomination to the Supreme Court through the Senate. Echoing Senator Roman Hruska's famous 1970 speech in defense of Harrold Carswell, Coats said to CNN regarding the nomination: "If [being a] great intellectual powerhouse is a qualification to be a member of the court and represent the American people and the wishes of the American people and to interpret the Constitution, then I think we have a court so skewed on the intellectual side that we may not be getting representation of America as a whole."[28]

In 2007, Coats served as co-chairman of a team of lobbyists for Cooper Industries, a Texas corporation that moved its principal place of business to Bermuda, where it would not be liable for U.S. taxes. In that role, he worked to block Senate legislation that would have closed a tax loophole, worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Cooper Industries.[29]

Coats served as co-chairman of the Washington government relations office of King & Spalding.[29]

Director of National Intelligence

Coats being sworn in as Director of National Intelligence by Vice President Mike Pence on March 16, 2017

On January 5, 2017, Coats was announced as then-President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for the position of Director of National Intelligence, to succeed the near outgoing James R. Clapper.[1] His confirmation hearing was held on February 28, 2017 to the United States Senate Intelligence Committee.[30]

On March 9, 2017, the United States Senate Intelligence Committee approved the nomination of Coats as National Intelligence Director with a 13–2 vote.[31] The Senate confirmed his nomination with a 85–12 vote on March 15, 2017, and he was sworn into office on March 16.[32]

On July 16, 2018, Coats released a statement affirming the consensus of the United States Intelligence Community (IC) that the Russian government interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election[33], a day after the 2018 Russia–United States summit where President Trump recanted his endorsement of the IC's assessment.[34]

On September 6, 2018 Director Coats denied that he had authored the anonymous New York Times Op/Ed piece from a Senior Trump Administration official that berated the President. The day before, MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell had speculated that Coats was the author of the controversial anonymous piece.[35]

Political campaigns

Coats in his first tenure in Congress

2010

On February 10, 2010, Coats confirmed that he would return to Indiana to run for the seat held by incumbent Evan Bayh in the 2010 United States Senate election.[36][37] Bayh had made no previous announcements and was fully expected to run for another term, but after Coats announced his candidacy, Bayh announced his retirement on February 15, 2010. On May 4, 2010, Coats won the Republican primary over state Sen. Marlin Stutzman and former Congressman John Hostettler.[38][39]

Coats received endorsements from National Right to Life Committee, Indiana Right to Life, and the Susan B. Anthony List.[40]

Coats defeated Democratic Rep. Brad Ellsworth by a fifteen-point margin to return to the Senate.[41]

Coats became the senior senator from Indiana after Richard Lugar lost a challenge in the 2012 Republican primary election and subsequently was not re-elected to the Senate in 2012. Coats served the remainder of his term with Democrat Joe Donnelly.

Personal life

He is married to Marsha Coats, Indiana’s female representative to the Republican National Committee.[42]

He received the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America's Charles G. Berwind Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012.[43]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Trump selects former Indiana Sen. Coats for top intelligence post". Chicagotribune.com. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Dan Coats ancestry". Freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
  3. ↑ "With Sen. Dan Coats' Retirement, One More Gone From The Old School". NPR.org. March 25, 2015. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Meet DAn". Dan Coats Official Website. Archived from the original on November 6, 2014. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Coats and Bayh finally set to do battle". TheHill. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Bayh won't seek Senate re-election". CNN.com. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Committee Assignments", Coats.senate.gov, United States Senate, December 30, 2016, archived from the original on December 30, 2016
  8. ↑ "Text - S.1241 - 102nd Congress (1991-1992): Biden-Thurmond Violent Crime Control Act of 1991 | Congress.gov | Library of Congress". Congress.gov. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  9. ↑ Macy, Tim (February 11, 2010). "Dan Coats, Gun Control and the Indiana Senate Primary". Gunowners.org. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
  10. ↑ "U.S. Senate Roll Call Vote". Senate.gov. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
  11. ↑ "Bill Summary & Status - 103rd Congress (1993 - 1994) - S.AMDT.1152". Thomas.loc.gov. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
  12. ↑ Silver, Nate (April 18, 2013). "Modeling the Senate's Vote on Gun Control". The New York Times.
  13. ↑ Sen. Daniel Coats [R-IN]. "Family, Investment, Retirement, Savings, and Tax Fairness Act of 1995 (1995; 104th Congress S. 568)". GovTrack.us. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
  14. ↑ "Bill Summary & Status Search Results - THOMAS (Library of Congress)". loc.gov.
  15. ↑ Schmitt, Eric (May 12, 1993). "Compromise on Military Gay Ban Gaining Support Among Senators". The New York Times.
  16. ↑ Salomon, Evie (October 8, 2010). "Indiana US Senate candidates discuss hot topics of this year's election". Indiana Daily Student. Indiana University. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  17. 1 2 Donald Trump names Dan Coats national intelligence director, BBC News (January 7, 2017)
  18. ↑ Naylor, Brian (January 5, 2017). "Trump Picks Ex-Senator, Banned From Russia, As His Intelligence Chief". NPR. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  19. 1 2 "Irak-Kriegspläne: US-Botschafter mahnt die Deutschen - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten - Politik". Spiegel.de. September 4, 2002. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  20. ↑ "Sen. Coats: Iran nuclear deal "fatally flawed"". RTV6 TheIndyChannel.com. September 5, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Iran continues engaging in support for terrorism despite nuclear deal". The Baghdad Post. May 13, 2017.
  22. ↑ Sen. Daniel Coats [R-IN]. "Coats Human Services Reauthorization Act of 1998 (1998; 105th Congress S. 2206)". GovTrack.us. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
  23. ↑ Pear, Robert (June 26, 1998). "The Supreme Court: The Opinion -- Justices, 6-3, Bar Veto Of Line Items In Bills; See H.I.V. As Disability; Spending At Issue". The New York Times.
  24. ↑ Most Lawmakers Support Clinton’s Military Strikes, August 20, 1998, CNN.
  25. ↑ "Speeches by Ambassador Coats". United States Diplomatic Mission to Germany. Archived from the original on August 27, 2009. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
  26. ↑ "Biography: Daniel R. Coats". United States Department of State. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
  27. ↑ "Coats, Bucshon to headline GOP dinner » Local News » The Washington Times-Herald". Washtimesherald.com. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  28. ↑ American Morning: Miers Confirmation Battle, October 7, 2005, transcript of CNN American Morning.
  29. 1 2 Lipton, Eric (November 13, 2010). "A Journey From Lawmaker to Lobbyist and Back Again". nyt.com. Retrieved November 15, 2010.
  30. ↑ Matt Smith (February 28, 2017). "Former Sen. Dan Coats to face questions during nomination hearing for director of national intelligence". Fox59. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  31. ↑ Matt McKinney (March 9, 2017). "Former U.S. Sen. Dan Coats' nomination as director of national intelligence advances to full Senate". The Indy Channel. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  32. ↑ "Dan Coats Sworn in as National Intelligence Director". Bloomberg.com. March 16, 2017. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  33. ↑ "Statement from DNI Coats". www.dni.gov. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  34. ↑ CNN, Jeremy Diamond,. "Trump sides with Putin over US intelligence". CNN. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  35. ↑ [https:/www.politico.com/story/2018/09/06/nyt-op-ed-pence-pompeo-809125 "Trump officials race to deny they authored 'resistance' op-ed"] Check |url= value (help).
  36. ↑ Ryan Elijah (February 10, 2010). "Dan Coats Confirms Bid for U.S. Senate". Indiana's NewsCenter. Archived from the original on February 12, 2010. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
  37. ↑ Flynn, Bridget (March 23, 2010). "Dan Coats outlines his priorities". Herald Argus.
  38. ↑ "The 2010 Results Maps". Politico.Com. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  39. ↑ Cillizza, Chris (May 4, 2010). "Coats, Fisher win; NC-Senate to runoff". Washington Post. Retrieved May 9, 2010.
  40. ↑ "Indiana Senate Candidate Dan Coats Gets Pro-Life Backing Over Ellsworth". LifeNews.com. June 10, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
  41. ↑ "State Results - Election Center 2010 - Elections & Politics from CNN.com". CNN.
  42. ↑ Coats, Marsha. "Unity makes the impossible, possible". Indiana GOP. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  43. ↑ "U.S. Sen. Dan Coats (R-Ind.) Receives Big Brothers Big Sisters' Highest National Honor". PR Newswire. June 12, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Dan Quayle		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Indiana's 4th congressional district
1981–1989		 Succeeded by
Jill Long
Preceded by
Dan Marriott		 Ranking Member of the House Children Committee
1987–1989		 Succeeded by
Tom Bliley
U.S. Senate
Preceded by
Dan Quayle		 U.S. Senator (Class 3) from Indiana
1989–1999
Served alongside: Richard Lugar		 Succeeded by
Evan Bayh
Preceded by
Evan Bayh		 U.S. Senator (Class 3) from Indiana
2011–2017
Served alongside: Richard Lugar, Joe Donnelly		 Succeeded by
Todd Young
Preceded by
Kevin Brady		 Chair of the Joint Economic Committee
2015–2017		 Succeeded by
Pat Tiberi
Party political offices
Preceded by
Dan Quayle		 Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from Indiana
(Class 3)
1990, 1992		 Succeeded by
Paul Helmke
Preceded by
Marvin Scott		 Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from Indiana
(Class 3)
2010		 Succeeded by
Todd Young
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
John Kornblum		 United States Ambassador to Germany
2001–2005		 Succeeded by
William Timken
Government offices
Preceded by
James Clapper		 Director of National Intelligence
2017–present		 Incumbent
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