Some breaking news tonight as President Trump tweeted his intention to nominate Rep. John Ratcliffe to be Director of National Intelligence:

I am pleased to announce the nomination of @RepRatcliffe (Congressman John Ratcliffe) to be Director of National Intelligence (DNI). Would have completed process earlier, but John wanted to wait until after IG Report was finished. John is an outstanding man of great talent! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 28, 2020

This would be the second time he tapped Ratcliffe for this position:

After picking and withdrawing Ratcliffe for DNI, Trump cycles back around and picks him again. — Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) February 28, 2020

But the last time, “Ratcliffe ran into some Republican opposition”:

Last time, Ratcliffe ran into some Republican opposition and his nomination lasted barely a week. https://t.co/G3uaeM0JkI https://t.co/oUn3XVMtYX — Olivier Knox (@OKnox) February 28, 2020

In case you forget, Rep. Ratcliffe was accused of misrepresenting his resume in an anti-terror case:

ABC NEWS — "Trump's pick for intelligence director misrepresented role in anti-terror case" https://t.co/oFgr4wac4B — Jesse Ferguson (@JesseFFerguson) February 28, 2020

This may not got well for President Trump:

This is not going to go well when the Senate returns next week. https://t.co/YMjehYlTmB — Zach C. Cohen (@Zachary_Cohen) February 28, 2020

Here’s what the president said back when he ran into trouble the first time around:

In August Trump announced the following about Ratcliffe. Tweeted "Rather than going through months of slander and libel, I explained to John how miserable it would be for him and his family to deal with these people……John has therefore decided to stay in Congress" — Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) February 28, 2020

Or maybe this is just a chess game to keep Richard Grenell in the position?

This may be a ploy to keep Richard Grenell in the position without going through the Senate. https://t.co/zZNMe6pmZ1 — Jim Roberts (@nycjim) February 28, 2020

Here’s how:

Even if there's no real chance that @RepRatcliffe will be confirmed by the Senate, the formal submission of his nomination will allow @RichardGrenell to continue to serve as Acting DNI past March 11 — and for another 210 days _after_ Ratcliffe's rejection or withdrawal. https://t.co/jQ3R4dWHeb — Steve Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) February 28, 2020

Let the triggering begin!

This is bad. Under the Vacancies Reform Act, Grenell can stay in place as acting DNI as long as the nomination is pending, which could be … a long time … given that Ratcliffe is a bonkers candidate for this job. Which means we're stuck with Grenell. https://t.co/mS0BLdXL5f — Quinta "Pro Quo" Jurecic (@qjurecic) February 28, 2020

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