Dan Coats
Dan Coats | |
---|---|
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 May 16, 1943 Jackson, Michigan, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Marsha Coats (m. 1965) |
Children | 3 |
Education | Staff Sergeant |
Daniel Ray Coats (born May 16, 1943) is an American politician, attorney, and diplomat. From 2017 to 2019, he served as the
Born in
After retiring from the Senate, Coats served as
Early life and education
Coats was born in
Career
He served in the United States Army Corps of Engineers from 1966 to 1968. He also served as assistant vice president of a Fort Wayne life insurance company.
Political staffer in Washington (1976-1980)
From 1976 to 1980, Coats worked for then-Congressman Dan Quayle, a Republican from Indiana's 4th congressional district, as Quayle's district representative.
U.S. House of Representatives (1981-1988)
When Quayle decided to challenge three-term
U.S. Senate (1988-1998)
When Quayle resigned from the Senate after being elected Vice President of the United States in 1988, Coats, who had just been elected to a fifth term in the House, was appointed to Quayle's former seat. He subsequently won a special election in 1990 for the balance of Quayle's second term, and was elected to a full term in 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.
Counselor (1998-2001)
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.
US Ambassador to Germany (2001-2005)
From August 15, 2001, to February 28, 2005, Coats was
Again in private life (2005-2010)
Coats served as co-chairman of the Washington government relations office of King & Spalding.[13]
In 2005, Coats drew attention when he was chosen by President George W. Bush to shepherd
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.[13]
U.S. Senate (2011-2016)
Coats announced on February 3, 2010, he would run[15] for his old Senate seat; and on February 16, 2010, Bayh announced his intention to retire.[16] Coats went on to win the seat. In March 2015, he announced that he would not run for reelection in 2016. He served on the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.[17]
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.[18][19] 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 Senator Marlin Stutzman and former U.S. Representative John Hostettler.[20][21]
Coats defeated Democratic U.S. Representative Brad Ellsworth by a 15-point margin to return to the Senate.[22]
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.
Director of National Intelligence (2017-2019)
On January 5, 2017, Coats was announced as then-
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,[26] a day after the 2018 Russia–United States summit where President Trump recanted his endorsement of the IC's assessment.[27]
On September 6, 2018, Director Coats denied that he had authored the anonymous op-ed piece from a senior Trump Administration official that criticized the President which had been published by The New York Times the day prior. The day before, MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell speculated that Coats was the author of the guest essay, which was later revealed to have been written by then-United States Department of Homeland Security Chief of Staff Miles Taylor.[28]
Coats released the DNI's "Worldwide Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community" on January 29, 2019, listing the major threats to the United States. The reports states that the "international system is coming under increasing strain amid continuing cyber and WMD proliferation threats, competition in space, and regional conflicts. Among the disturbing trends are hostile states and actors' intensifying online efforts to influence and interfere with elections here and abroad and their use of chemical weapons. Terrorism too will continue to be a top threat to US and partner interests worldwide, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.[Notes 1] The development and application of new technologies will introduce both risks and opportunities, and the US economy will be challenged by slower global economic growth and growing threats to U.S. economic competitiveness." In the report, Coats also highlighted the potential negative impacts to US national security as a result of climate change, with this statement: "The United States will probably have to manage the impact of global human security challenges, such as threats to public health, historic levels of human displacement, assaults on religious freedom, and the negative effects of environmental degradation and climate change."[29]: 4
Reporting to Congress in January 2019, the subject advised that Russia acting in concert with their allies will use novel strategies that build on their previous experience in election meddling.[30] In July 2019, Coats appointed an election security "czar," Shelby Pierson, to oversee efforts across intelligence agencies. She is the first to have that role.[31][32] Coats also directed other intelligence agencies to appoint executives to coordinate election security.[31]
During his tenure Coats sometimes took public positions that conflicted with Trump's statements or actions. Areas of disagreement included Russia, and particularly Russia's interference in the 2016 election, as well as North Korea and Iran. On July 28, 2019, following multiple anonymous reports that he was about to be let go, Trump announced on Twitter that Coats would depart on August 15 and that he would nominate U.S. Representative John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) to replace him as Director of National Intelligence.[3][4][33]
Later, it was revealed that Trump had spoken by phone to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on July 25, three days before Trump fired Coats. (Trump was impeached for pressuring Ukraine.) When the Ukraine scandal came to light, some speculated that Coats's firing had been related to the Ukraine phone call.[34]
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. This act, which did not become law, would have created a waiting period for handgun purchases and placed a ban on assault weapons.[35] Subsequently, he supported the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act that President Clinton signed into law in 1993.[36] 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.[37] 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".[38]
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 five Democrats to stop the passage of the bill.[39]
Taxes
In 1995, Coats introduced S. 568: Family, Investment, Retirement, Savings, and Tax Fairness Act[40] 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".[41] 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.
Russia and Ukraine
Coats pressed President
In January 2019, Coats warned against the alliance between Russia and China.[46]
Iran and Iraq
Coats supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq on the grounds of uncovering what he believed to be Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.[11]
Coats opposed the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers – the U.S., U.K., Russia, France, China, and Germany.[47] He described Iran as the foremost "state sponsor of terrorism".[48]
During testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee in January 2019, Coats said that Iran "continues to sponsor terrorism".[49] According to Coats, "Iran's regional ambitions and improved military capabilities almost certainly will threaten US interests in the coming year."[50]
Palestine
Coats co-sponsored the
In September 2016, in advance of a UN Security Council resolution 2334 condemning Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, Coats signed an AIPAC-sponsored letter urging President Barack Obama to veto "one-sided" resolutions against Israel.[53]
Other
Coats co-sponsored, with former senators
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."[55] 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
Political campaigns
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Dan Coats (incumbent) | 806,048 | 53.6% | -6.93% | |
Democratic | Baron Hill | 696,639 | 46.4% | +7.85% | |
Majority | 109,409 | 7.28% | |||
Turnout | 1,502,687 | ||||
Republican hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Dan Coats (incumbent) | 1,267,972 | 57.3% | ||
Democratic | Joseph Hogsett
|
900,148 | 40.8% | ||
Libertarian | Steve Dillon | 35,733 | 1.6% | ||
New Alliance | Raymond Tirado | 7,474 | 0.3% | ||
No party | Write-Ins | 99 | 0.0% | ||
Majority | 367,824 | ||||
Turnout | 2,211,426 | ||||
Republican hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Dan Coats | 217,225 | 39.5% | |
Republican | Marlin Stutzman | 160,981 | 29.2% | |
Republican | John Hostettler | 124,494 | 22.6% | |
Republican | Don Bates, Jr. | 24,664 | 4.5% | |
Republican | Richard Behney | 23,005 | 4.2% | |
Total votes | 550,369 | 100.0% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Dan Coats | 952,116 | 54.60% | +17.37% | |
Democratic | Brad Ellsworth | 697,775 | 40.01% | -21.64% | |
Libertarian | Rebecca Sink-Burris | 94,330 | 5.39% | +4.27% | |
Majority | 254,341 | 14.58% | |||
Total votes | 1,743,921 | 100.00% | |||
Republican gain from Democratic | Swing |
Personal life
He is married to Marsha Coats, Indiana's woman representative to the Republican National Committee.[61]
He received the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America's Charles G. Berwind Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012.[62]
In 2015, Coats received the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site Advancing American Democracy Award.
Coats is described as a "die-hard Chicago Cubs fan". He and Marsha Coats went to a Cubs game the day after their wedding.[63]
See also
Notes
References
- ^ a b "Trump selects former Indiana Sen. Coats for top intelligence post". Chicagotribune.com. January 5, 2017. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
- ^ "Donald J. Trump". twitter.com. July 28, 2019.
- ^ a b Steve Holland, Jeff Mason (July 28, 2019). "Ratcliffe tapped to replace Coats as U.S. spy chief". www.reuters.com.
- ^ a b "Dan Coats to step down, Trump tweets, as President announces Ratcliffe will be nominated as next director of national intelligence". CNN. July 28, 2019. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
- ^ "DNI Daniel R. Coats Resignation Letter". www.dni.gov. Archived from the original on August 18, 2019. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
- ^ "Dan Coats ancestry". Freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2017. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
- ^ "With Sen. Dan Coats' Retirement, One More Gone From The Old School". NPR.org. March 25, 2015. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
- ^ "Meet DAn". Dan Coats Official Website. Archived from the original on November 6, 2014. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
- United States Diplomatic Mission to Germany. Archived from the originalon August 27, 2009. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ "Biography: Daniel R. Coats". United States Department of State. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ a b "Irak-Kriegspläne: US-Botschafter mahnt die Deutschen - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten - Politik". Spiegel.de. September 4, 2002. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
- ^ "Coats, Bucshon to headline GOP dinner » Local News » The Washington Times-Herald". Washtimesherald.com. May 21, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
- ^ a b Lipton, Eric (November 13, 2010). "A Journey From Lawmaker to Lobbyist and Back Again". nyt.com. Retrieved November 15, 2010.
- ^ "Transcripts: American Morning: Miers confirmation battle". CNN. October 7, 2005. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
- ^ "Coats and Bayh finally set to do battle". TheHill. February 4, 2010. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
- ^ "Bayh won't seek Senate re-election". CNN.com. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
- ^ "Committee Assignments", Coats.senate.gov, United States Senate, December 30, 2016, archived from the original on December 30, 2016
- ^ 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.
- ^ Flynn, Bridget (March 23, 2010). "Dan Coats outlines his priorities". Herald Argus. Archived from the original on April 19, 2012. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
- ^ "The 2010 Results Maps". Politico.Com. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
- ^ Cillizza, Chris (May 4, 2010). "Coats, Fisher win; NC-Senate to runoff". Washington Post. Retrieved May 9, 2010.
- ^ "State Results - Election Center 2010 - Elections & Politics from CNN.com". CNN.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Dan Coats Sworn in as National Intelligence Director". Bloomberg.com. March 16, 2017. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
- ^ "Statement from DNI Coats". Dni.gov. Archived from the original on July 17, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
- Diamond, Jeremy. "Trump sides with Putin over US intelligence". Cnn.com. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
- ^ "Trump officials race to deny they authored 'resistance' op-ed". Politico.com. September 6, 2018. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- ^ Worldwide Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community (PDF). Director of National Intelligence (Report). Climate and Security. February 13, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
- ^ Mak, Tim (January 29, 2019). "Spy Boss Coats Warns That Russia, Others Plot New Interference Techniques For 2020". NPR. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
- ^ a b Ewing, Philip (July 19, 2019). "Director Of National Intelligence Dan Coats Appoints New Election Security Czar". NPR. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- ^ "Pierson appointed as newly established IC Election Threats Executive". Homeland Preparedness News. July 23, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
- TheGuardian.com. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
- ^ "Text - S.1241 - 102nd Congress (1991-1992): Biden-Thurmond Violent Crime Control Act of 1991 | Congress.gov | Library of Congress". Congress.gov. November 21, 1991. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
- ^ Macy, Tim (February 11, 2010). "Dan Coats, Gun Control and the Indiana Senate Primary". Gunowners.org. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
- ^ "U.S. Senate Roll Call Vote". Senate.gov. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
- ^ "Bill Summary & Status - 103rd Congress (1993 - 1994) - S.AMDT.1152". Congress.gov. November 17, 1993.
- ^ Silver, Nate (April 18, 2013). "Modeling the Senate's Vote on Gun Control". The New York Times.
- ^ 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.
- ^ S. 568
- ^ Schmitt, Eric (May 12, 1993). "Compromise on Military Gay Ban Gaining Support Among Senators". The New York Times.
- ^ Salomon, Evie (October 8, 2010). "Indiana US Senate candidates discuss hot topics of this year's election". Indiana Daily Student. Indiana University. Archived from the original on September 6, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
- ^ a b "Donald Trump names Dan Coats national intelligence director". BBC News. January 7, 2017. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
- ^ Naylor, Brian (January 5, 2017). "Trump Picks Ex-Senator, Banned From Russia, As His Intelligence Chief". NPR. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
- ^ "Intel chiefs warn of Russia-China alliance as threats grow more complex". CBS News. January 29, 2019.
- ^ Fischer, Jordan; Heinz, Katie (September 9, 2015). "Sen. Coats: Iran nuclear deal "fatally flawed"". WRTV Indianapolis. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
- ^ Iran continues engaging in support for terrorism despite nuclear deal Archived February 14, 2018, at the Wayback Machine. The Baghdad Post. May 13, 2017.
- ^ "Trump disagrees with his own intelligence team. We catalog the differences". PolitiFact. January 31, 2019.
- ^ "4 key takeaways from Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats testimony about Iran". USA Today. February 5, 2019.
- ^ "Former Israeli generals warn against US bill slashing funds to PA". The Times of Israel. June 23, 2017.
- ^ Tubbs, Ashlyn (September 28, 2016). "Senators introduce Taylor Force Act to cut terror attack funding". KCBD.
- ^ "Senate – Aipac" (PDF). September 19, 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2016.
- ^ Sen. Daniel Coats [R-IN]. "Coats Human Services Reauthorization Act of 1998 (1998; 105th Congress S. 2206)". GovTrack.us. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Most Lawmakers Support Clinton's Military Strikes". CNN. August 20, 1998. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
- ^ "Congressional Election of November 1990" (PDF). Clerk.house.gov. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
- ^ Clerk of the House of Representatives (1993). "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional election of November 3, 1992" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office.
- ^ "The 2010 Results Maps". Politico.Com. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
- ^ "Secretary of State : Election Division: Election Results". Archived from the original on September 20, 2018. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
- ^ Coats, Marsha. "Unity makes the impossible, possible". Indiana GOP. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
- ^ "U.S. Sen. Dan Coats (R-Ind.) Receives Big Brothers Big Sisters' Highest National Honor". PR Newswire. June 12, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
- ^ Clarke, Sara (February 16, 2017). "10 Things You Didn't Know About Dan Coats". Best States.
External links
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Vice President Pence Participates in a Swearing-in Ceremony for Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, March 16, 2017, White House