Dan Coats confirmed as nation’s new spy chief

Former Indiana Republican Sen Dan Coats was confirmed as the country’s top spy chief, taking over as Congress demands more information from the intelligence community about alleged contacts between the president’s advisers and Russian officials. The Senate voted 85 to 12 to confirm Coats as the director of national intelligence, a role in which Coats pledged to work closely with members of Congress to facilitate their various probes into allegations that Russia interfered in the 2016 elections for the purpose of aiding President Trump’s chances of victory.

Coats promised to provide lawmakers access to the intelligence community’s findings during his confirmation hearing in Feb before the members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. But just hours before the Senate voted to confirm him March 15, leaders of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence raised concerns that their access to documents about the Russia investigation was being limited at the very office Coats is taking over.