Former Indiana Senator Coats Confirmed As Intelligence Director

By Mike Perleberg Indiana's Dan Coats was confirmed as the new Director of National Intelligence on Wednesday, March 15. (Washington) - Former Indiana Senator Dan Coats is officially part of the Trump administration. The Indiana University graduate was confirmed Wednesday as Director of National Intelligence. Coats is the fifth person to hold the post that was created after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. As the Trump administration's top intelligence official, he will oversee 16 intelligence agencies. Like his Republican counterpart Todd Young, Indiana Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly was among those voting to confirm Coats. He said the former Senator, Congressman and Ambassador to Germany has stepped up to lead the intelligence community at a critical time. “He is eminently qualified for this new role, and I trust he will remain clear-eyed about the threats facing our nation, including Russian attempts to undermine our democracy. I know that Dan will provide his best advice to the president and give our intelligence professionals the leadership they need and deserve,” said Donnelly. Coats has been critical of Russia’s annexation of Crimea and as a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee called for stronger sanctions. Those stances landed him on a list of lawmakers banned from entering Russia. Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb, who had worked as an aide in Coats’ office prior to becoming lieutenant governor last year, said he is thrilled for his friend. “He is uniquely qualified and brings a wealth of experience, incredible wit and a strong dose of Hoosier common sense. Our nation will be well served, again, by his leadership,” Holcomb said. Another Indiana colleague, Congressman Luke Messer (R-IN 6) congratulated Coats on his nomination. “President Trump could not have picked a better person for the job.  Dan Coats is an extraordinary Hoosier, a man of integrity with sound judgment, a level head and an expert in the field,” he said. Another person with Hoosier ties was confirmed for a Trump cabinet position this week. Seema Verma, one of the architects of the Healthy Indiana Plan 2.0 Medicaid expansion under former Governor Mike Pence, was sworn in Tuesday as the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. “As our national leaders work through the details of a new plan for health care, Seema Verma is exactly the right person to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services,” said Holcomb.