Less than a week after Dan Coats stepped down and President Trump nominated John Ratcliffe as Director of National Intelligence, the Texas Representative has, according to a tweet by the president, withdrawn his nomination after scrutiny of his qualifications for the position.

Trump blamed the decision on Ratcliff "being treated very unfairly by the LameStream Media," adding that "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.

Trump added that " John has therefore decided to stay in Congress," and will announce a new nomination for DNI shortly.

Our great Republican Congressman John Ratcliffe is being treated very unfairly by the LameStream Media. 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.... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 2, 2019

....John has therefore decided to stay in Congress where he has done such an outstanding job representing the people of Texas, and our Country. I will be announcing my nomination for DNI shortly. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 2, 2019

As The Hill concludes, Trump's abrupt announcement came after days of scrutiny of Ratcliffe's background and past statements critical of former special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation. Several Republican senators had declined to weigh in on his nomination, as he withstood a barrage of criticism from Democrats.