US intelligence chief Dan Coats will leave office on August 15, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-defends-attack-on-african-american-us-lawmaker-elijah-cummings-239036">President Donald Trump</a> announced on Sunday, the latest high-profile departure from his turnover-plagued administration.

Coats was regularly at odds with Trump during his tenure as Director of National Intelligence and at times appears to have been kept in the dark by his administration, but tried to avoid confrontation with the mercurial president.&nbsp;

Trump tweeted that he plans to nominate Representative John Ratcliffe of Texas, who serves on the House intelligence, judiciary and homeland security committees, as the next official to oversee and coordinate the CIA, NSA and other US espionage bodies.

"A former US Attorney, John will lead and inspire greatness for the country he loves," Trump wrote, also thanking Coats "for his great service to our Country."

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....be leaving office on August 15th. I would like to thank Dan for his great service to our Country. The Acting Director will be named shortly.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1155580142225383425?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 28, 2019</a></blockquote>
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If Ratcliffe's nomination is approved, Trump will get an intelligence chief who is more in synch with his views.

In Congress, he has been a staunch defender of Trump and has criticized two of the president's nemeses, former FBI chief James Comey and special counsel Robert Mueller.

Ratcliffe has also said he has "seen no evidence" that Russian election meddling helped bring Trump to office, has backed the president's assertion that court-approved surveillance of his campaign amounted to spying, and has supported his hawkish policy on Iran.

Russian election meddling is just one of several issues on which Coats has not seen eye-to-eye with Trump.

Coats backed the US intelligence community's conclusion that Russia interfered in the 2016 election that brought Trump to office -- something the president was long loath to acknowledge.

North Korea, Islamic State group

The intelligence chief also disagreed with Trump's decision to hold two hours of closed-door talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki in July 2018 with no one else present but interpreters.

"If he had asked me how that ought to be conducted, I would have suggested a different way," Coats said.

He acknowledged being kept in the dark about the contents of the talks, saying three days after they were held that: "I don't know what happened in that meeting."

Trump's attempts to get North Korea to give up its nuclear arsenal via talks with Pyongyang's leader Kim Jong Un was another point of disagreement.

"We continue to assess that North Korea is unlikely to give up all of its nuclear weapons and production capabilities, even as it seeks to negotiate partial denuclearization steps to obtain key US and international concessions," Coats said in the annual "Worldwide Threat Assessment" report earlier this year.

North Korea's leaders see having a nuclear weapons capability as "critical to regime survival," Coats said.

Trump, however, has taken the view that Kim is willing to give up his nuclear arms.

The report also warned that the Islamic State group -- despite Trump's assertions to the contrary -- was hardly vanquished and could easily rise again in a vacuum left by departing US forces, resuming global attacks and restarting its propaganda machine.

The jihadist group "still commands thousands of fighters in Iraq and Syria, and it maintains eight branches, more than a dozen networks, and thousands of dispersed supporters around the world, despite significant leadership and territorial losses," Coats said.

Coats's departure will be the latest in a long series of exits by top Trump administration officials, including defence secretary Jim Mattis, homeland security chief Kirstjen Nielsen, chief of staff John Kelly and top diplomat Rex Tillerson.

US intelligence chief Dan Coats will leave office on August 15, President Donald Trump announced on Sunday, the latest high-profile departure from his turnover-plagued administration.

US intelligence chief Dan Coats will leave office on August 15, President Donald Trump announced on Sunday, the latest high-profile departure from his turnover-plagued administration. Coats was regularly at odds with Trump during his tenure as Director of National Intelligence and at times appears to have been kept in the dark by his administration, but tried to avoid confrontation with the mercurial president. Trump tweeted that he plans to nominate Representative John Ratcliffe of Texas, who serves on the House intelligence, judiciary and homeland security committees, as the next official to oversee and coordinate the CIA, NSA and other US espionage bodies. "A former US Attorney, John will lead and inspire greatness for the country he loves," Trump wrote, also thanking Coats "for his great service to our Country." ....be leaving office on August 15th. I would like to thank Dan for his great service to our Country. The Acting Director will be named shortly. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2019 × If Ratcliffe's nomination is approved, Trump will get an intelligence chief who is more in synch with his views. In Congress, he has been a staunch defender of Trump and has criticized two of the president's nemeses, former FBI chief James Comey and special counsel Robert Mueller. Ratcliffe has also said he has "seen no evidence" that Russian election meddling helped bring Trump to office, has backed the president's assertion that court-approved surveillance of his campaign amounted to spying, and has supported his hawkish policy on Iran. Russian election meddling is just one of several issues on which Coats has not seen eye-to-eye with Trump. Coats backed the US intelligence community's conclusion that Russia interfered in the 2016 election that brought Trump to office -- something the president was long loath to acknowledge. North Korea, Islamic State group The intelligence chief also disagreed with Trump's decision to hold two hours of closed-door talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki in July 2018 with no one else present but interpreters. "If he had asked me how that ought to be conducted, I would have suggested a different way," Coats said. He acknowledged being kept in the dark about the contents of the talks, saying three days after they were held that: "I don't know what happened in that meeting." Trump's attempts to get North Korea to give up its nuclear arsenal via talks with Pyongyang's leader Kim Jong Un was another point of disagreement. "We continue to assess that North Korea is unlikely to give up all of its nuclear weapons and production capabilities, even as it seeks to negotiate partial denuclearization steps to obtain key US and international concessions," Coats said in the annual "Worldwide Threat Assessment" report earlier this year. North Korea's leaders see having a nuclear weapons capability as "critical to regime survival," Coats said. Trump, however, has taken the view that Kim is willing to give up his nuclear arms. The report also warned that the Islamic State group -- despite Trump's assertions to the contrary -- was hardly vanquished and could easily rise again in a vacuum left by departing US forces, resuming global attacks and restarting its propaganda machine. The jihadist group "still commands thousands of fighters in Iraq and Syria, and it maintains eight branches, more than a dozen networks, and thousands of dispersed supporters around the world, despite significant leadership and territorial losses," Coats said. Coats's departure will be the latest in a long series of exits by top Trump administration officials, including defence secretary Jim Mattis, homeland security chief Kirstjen Nielsen, chief of staff John Kelly and top diplomat Rex Tillerson.

US intelligence chief Dan Coats to resign from Trump administration

The Kremlin on Tuesday rejected Washington's accusations that <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/i-could-have-a-very-good-relationship-with-russia--putin-trump-128197">Russia tried to disrupt the 2016 presidential vote</a> and sought to demoralise African-Americans, calling the charges incomprehensible.

According to a new report for the US Senate, the primary goal of Russia's Internet Research Agency (IRA) was to deepen divisions in US society and convince Democrat-favouring liberals -- including Latinos, youths and the LGBTQ community -- not to vote.&nbsp;

The most extensive analysis yet of thousands of IRA ads and posts across social media in 2015-2017 showed an emphasis on provoking the anger of black Americans so that they would stay home on election day.

For example, the IRA-created account "Blacktivist" sent out messages on the Democratic candidate such as: "No lives matter to Hillary Clinton. Only votes matter to Hillary Clinton."

Another IRA account, "Black Matters", posted on Facebook: "Cops kill black kids. Are you sure that your son won't be the next?"

Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the report by the Computational Propaganda Project at Oxford University and social media specialists Graphika caused "nothing but incomprehension."

"It voices absolutely general charges and accusations and some of them are absolutely unclear to us," Peskov told reporters on a conference call.

"We are reproached that someone critically thinks of a situation in this or that social sphere in the United States but it is not explained what Russia has to do with it," he said.

He reiterated Russia's long-standing position that any such claims were unfounded.&nbsp;

"The Russian state, the Russian government had and has nothing to do with any interference, especially one that is described in such abstract terms," Peskov added.

The IRA is believed to have been set up by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a businessman close to Putin, as a propaganda tool.&nbsp;

Russia has been accused of manipulating the 2016 US presidential vote through a vast propaganda campaign in favour of Donald Trump.&nbsp;

US investigators are probing alleged collusion between Russian agents and Trump's campaign.&nbsp;

The Kremlin on Tuesday rejected Washington's accusations that Russia tried to disrupt the 2016 presidential vote and sought to demoralise African-Americans, calling the charges incomprehensible.

The Kremlin on Tuesday rejected Washington's accusations that Russia tried to disrupt the 2016 presidential vote and sought to demoralise African-Americans, calling the charges incomprehensible. According to a new report for the US Senate, the primary goal of Russia's Internet Research Agency (IRA) was to deepen divisions in US society and convince Democrat-favouring liberals -- including Latinos, youths and the LGBTQ community -- not to vote. The most extensive analysis yet of thousands of IRA ads and posts across social media in 2015-2017 showed an emphasis on provoking the anger of black Americans so that they would stay home on election day. For example, the IRA-created account "Blacktivist" sent out messages on the Democratic candidate such as: "No lives matter to Hillary Clinton. Only votes matter to Hillary Clinton." Another IRA account, "Black Matters", posted on Facebook: "Cops kill black kids. Are you sure that your son won't be the next?" Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the report by the Computational Propaganda Project at Oxford University and social media specialists Graphika caused "nothing but incomprehension." "It voices absolutely general charges and accusations and some of them are absolutely unclear to us," Peskov told reporters on a conference call. "We are reproached that someone critically thinks of a situation in this or that social sphere in the United States but it is not explained what Russia has to do with it," he said. He reiterated Russia's long-standing position that any such claims were unfounded. "The Russian state, the Russian government had and has nothing to do with any interference, especially one that is described in such abstract terms," Peskov added. The IRA is believed to have been set up by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a businessman close to Putin, as a propaganda tool. Russia has been accused of manipulating the 2016 US presidential vote through a vast propaganda campaign in favour of Donald Trump. US investigators are probing alleged collusion between Russian agents and Trump's campaign.

Kremlin says Russia did not target black US voters

A lawyer linked to a former campaign aide of President Donald Trump pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents Tuesday, as the probe into Russian election meddling gains pace.

Special prosecutor Robert Mueller&#39;s powerful team of investigators accused Alex van der Zwaan of knowingly making false statements about his communications with Richard Gates, a former senior official on the Trump campaign who is under indictment on money laundering and tax-related charges linked to his work in Ukraine.

Van der Zwaan, a London-based lawyer with the international law firm Skadden, was also accused of lying about his contacts with another unnamed person, the charges said. He will be sentenced April 3, according to the Special Counsel&#39;s Office.

Little information was provided about Van der Zwaan&#39;s links to the Trump campaign, but he represented his law firm in work done for the Ukraine government in 2012 on the corruption trial of former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

At that time, Gates and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort were working for the Russian-backed Ukraine president Viktor Yanukovych, who himself was brought down in an anti-corruption uprising in 2014.

Gates and Manafort, according to Ukraine government records, earned millions of dollars in their work for Yanukovych that was not reported.

Manafort too has been indicted by Mueller on money laundering and tax-related charges. In a filing Friday, Mueller&#39;s team said it had uncovered evidence of bank fraud by Manafort that was not covered in the original charges.

Mueller, whose work focuses on whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign, issued a surprise indictment Friday charging 13 Russians with alleged meddling in US politics.

The special counsel is also examining whether Trump sought to obstruct his investigation.

The White House has repeatedly rejected allegations of wrongdoing.

Van der Zwaan, a London-based lawyer with the international law firm Skadden, was also accused of lying about his contacts with another unnamed person, the charges against him said

A lawyer linked to a former campaign aide of President Donald Trump pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents Tuesday, as the probe into Russian election meddling gains pace. Special prosecutor Robert Mueller's powerful team of investigators accused Alex van der Zwaan of knowingly making false statements about his communications with Richard Gates, a former senior official on the Trump campaign who is under indictment on money laundering and tax-related charges linked to his work in Ukraine. Van der Zwaan, a London-based lawyer with the international law firm Skadden, was also accused of lying about his contacts with another unnamed person, the charges said. He will be sentenced April 3, according to the Special Counsel's Office. Little information was provided about Van der Zwaan's links to the Trump campaign, but he represented his law firm in work done for the Ukraine government in 2012 on the corruption trial of former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko. At that time, Gates and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort were working for the Russian-backed Ukraine president Viktor Yanukovych, who himself was brought down in an anti-corruption uprising in 2014. Gates and Manafort, according to Ukraine government records, earned millions of dollars in their work for Yanukovych that was not reported. Manafort too has been indicted by Mueller on money laundering and tax-related charges. In a filing Friday, Mueller's team said it had uncovered evidence of bank fraud by Manafort that was not covered in the original charges. Mueller, whose work focuses on whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign, issued a surprise indictment Friday charging 13 Russians with alleged meddling in US politics. The special counsel is also examining whether Trump sought to obstruct his investigation. The White House has repeatedly rejected allegations of wrongdoing.

Lawyer linked to ex-Trump campaign aide pleads guilty to lying in Russia probe

No evidence is behind the U.S. indictment of Russian nationals for alleged election interference and Moscow has given multiple explanations on what Washington called &quot;Russian meddling efforts&quot;, RIA news agency cited the Russian presidential envoy as saying on Saturday.

The office of U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller has charged 13 Russians and three Russian companies, including the St. Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency, known for its trolling on social media.

Moscow has given multiple explanations on what Washington called Russian meddling efforts

No evidence is behind the U.S. indictment of Russian nationals for alleged election interference and Moscow has given multiple explanations on what Washington called "Russian meddling efforts", RIA news agency cited the Russian presidential envoy as saying on Saturday. The office of U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller has charged 13 Russians and three Russian companies, including the St. Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency, known for its trolling on social media.

Moscow says no evidence behind US indictment of Russians for alleged election meddling