Dan Coats: “The cost of complying with federal regulations exceeded $1.75 trillion every year--nearly 12 percent of the total GDP.”

One of the first things you can do--at this hearing, even--is to make a strong statement of support for professionalism in the IC and pledge that you will not tolerate politics influencing the analytical process.

You will need to inspire a workforce that has unfortunately been hollowed out by years of firings, and remind them that their mission is critical--and still noble.

Electoral legitimacy is the essential linchpin of our entire political culture.

I would argue that ours is not working very well and it is--at the moment.