Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX), President Trump’s nominee for director of national intelligence, embellished how many immigrants he rounded up in one day as a U.S. attorney, according to an investigation by The Washington Post. On Ratcliffe’s website, he claims that he “arrested over 300 illegal immigrants on a single day.” However, court records show that only 45 immigrants were charged by prosecutors, and six cases were later thrown out—two because the suspects turned out to be U.S. citizens. The raid targeted workers at poultry processor Pilgrim’s Pride that were allegedly using fake Social Security numbers, and two people involved with planning did not recall Ratcliffe being a central player in the effort. A.J. Irwin, a former investigator who was involved with planning the early stages of the operation, said that “it was the biggest waste of money and hype.” The investigation comes after nearly a week of intense scrutiny of Ratcliffe’s qualifications for the position after Trump announced that he will replace Dan Coats.
