Ratcliffe Is Out as Trump Slams 'Lamestream Media'

President Trump says he's no longer planning to nominate Rep. John Ratcliffe as his next director of national intelligence, the New York Times reports. Ratcliffe was facing a rocky nomination and apparently chose to bow out; some had questioned whether he had embellished the work he did as a federal prosecutor on his resume. "Our great Republican Congressman John Ratcliffe is being treated very unfairly by the LameStream Media. Rather than going through months of slander and libel, I explained to John how miserable it would be for him and his family to deal with these people," Trump tweeted Friday.

"John has therefore decided to stay in Congress where he has done such an outstanding job representing the people of Texas, and our Country," the president added. "I will be announcing my nomination for DNI shortly." (See how the Texas congressman stood out in questioning Robert Mueller.)