Trump's pick for intelligence chief spent years lobbying
Source: Associated Press
STEPHEN BRAUN AND JULIE BYKOWICZ, ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON (AP) Former Sen. Dan Coats, in line to be national intelligence director, has swung back and forth between government service and lobbying, the type of Washington career that President-elect Donald Trump has mocked.
The Indiana Republican, 73, has made four spins through the capitals revolving door and become wealthy. Since the early 1980s, Coats either has served in government or earned money as a lobbyist and board director. His most recently available Senate financial disclosure, from 2014, shows he had a net worth of more than $12 million.
In and out of government, Coats dealt with intelligence, which he would oversee for the Trump administration if confirmed by the Senate. Announcing his selection on Saturday, Trump cited Coats deep subject matter expertise and sound judgment and government service but did not mention his lobbying.
When Coats first left the Senate in 1999, he abided by the legally required yearlong cooling off period before joining a firm that lobbied his former colleagues on behalf of foreign clients.
Read more: http://www.salon.com/2017/01/07/trumps-pick-for-intelligence-chief-spent-years-lobbying/