What they’re saying: James Clapper, the longest-serving DNI (2010-2017), tells Axios it’s “very worrisome installing a partisan with no real intelligence experience in this position.”

“I spent my life in intelligence, and found the DNI job the hardest thing I’ve ever tried to do,” he says. “I can’t imagine taking it on, and learning the ABC’s of intelligence on an on-the-job basis.”

“The turmoil this is causing is a huge distraction from what the [intelligence community] should be focused on, which are the numerous threats to this country.”