President Donald Trump said National Intelligence Director John Ratcliffe made the decision because the administration “got tired” of intelligence about election security leaking from Congress.

Prior to becoming Director of National Intelligence, then-Rep. Ratcliffe represented the resident of the White House during impeachment proceedings. Three weeks after impeachment failed to remove his client from office, Ratcliffe accepted his client’s nomination as Director of National Intelligence. He is the first DNI confirmed by a partisan vote for a reason:

Maine Sen. Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats and a member of the Senate intelligence panel, said he has concerns that Ratciffe has limited experience in the intelligence community yet extensive experience in politics. “A dangerous combination,” he said.

“Now more than ever it is vital that the DNI respect the critical firewall that must exist between intelligence and political calculations — especially if the truth isn’t what the boss wants to hear,” King said.

Before being elected to Congress in 2014, Ratcliffe was mayor of Heath, Texas, and a U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Texas. When he was first nominated, senators questioned whether he had enough intelligence experience and whether he was picked because of his willingness to defend Trump.

But given a second chance, Ratcliffe worked to separate himself from the president at his confirmation hearing, including by saying he believed Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election, a conclusion Trump has resisted. He said he would communicate to Trump the intelligence community’s findings even if he knew Trump disagreed with them and might fire him.

If your client only reacts to alarming reports about foreign interference in federal elections when they reach the press, the logical way to help him keep his job — and keep you in yours — is to stop delivering alarming intelligence reports to those who directly represent voters.

Trump’s intel chief ends election security briefings to Hill | AP