Dan Coats on Thursday was asked about President Trump's meeting with President Putin in Helsinki.
US Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats is apparently still unaware of what was discussed during the July 16 Helsinki meeting between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. At a Thursday press conference featuring a number of top U.S. security officials, Coats was asked about the content of that conversation as it pertained to Russia's ongoing efforts to meddle in U.S. elections. "I'm not in a position to either understand fully or talk about what happened in Helsinki," he answered. As the head of national intelligence, Coats plays a key role in the effort to keep Russia's influence out of the decisions US voters make. Nonetheless, when it comes to some matters involving Trump and Putin, he seems to be outside of the communications loop. Just weeks ago, he appeared genuinely surprised when, in the midst of a live interview, he learned that Putin had been invited to Washington. His first response to the news was, "say that again," followed by a pause and the comment, "OK. That's going to be special."
