President-elect Donald Trump announced that his former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe is his choice to lead the CIA – citing his credentials battling the ‘fake Russian collusion’ narrative.
Trump announced the latest loyalist pick to his rapidly growing cabinet, which had been floated, with a statement on a day when he announced he would tap former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as U.S. ambassador to Israel.
Once again, Trump used language suggesting it was a done deal, although the newly Republican Senate will have to confirm the selection.
‘I am pleased to announce that former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe will serve as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA),’ Trump said.
‘From exposing fake Russian collusion to be a Clinton campaign operation, to catching the FBI’s abuse of Civil Liberties at the FISA Court, John Ratcliffe has always been a warrior for Truth and Honesty with the American Public. When 51 intelligence officials were lying about Hunter Biden’s laptop, there was one, John Ratcliffe, telling the truth to the American People.’
Trump’s statement makes clear that the reason the MAGA-aligned Ratcliffe was selected in part due to his loyalty. Trump has railed ever since he entered the White House about the Russia probe, which began during the 2016 campaign as a probe of contacts between Trump advisors who had Russia ties.
He has long said the probe hobbled his administration from the outset. He said in 2020 he was ‘probably entitled to another four’ year term because of ‘the way we were treated.’
Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller found that Russia did interfere in the campaign, but he ‘did not find that the Trump campaign, or anyone associated with it, conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in these efforts, despite multiple efforts from Russian-affiliated individuals to assist the Trump campaign.’
After listing the Russia probe, foreign intelligence courts, and the Hunter Biden laptop, Trump said that ‘for these and many other reasons’ he awarded Ratcliffe with the National Security Medal in 2020.
‘He will be a fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans, while ensuring the Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH,’ Trump concluded.
Ratcliffe while serving as DNI told Fox News in late October 2020 days before the election that there was ‘no intelligence to support’ claims that Russian disinformation was behind stunning emails that emerged from Hunter Biden’s infamous laptop.
A Wilmington repair shop owner would later come forward to say Hunter dropped off the machine for repairs and that he uncovered the information while working on it.
As with other recent picks, including Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as Trump’s likely pick at the State Department, Trump has been settling on officials with electoral experience and known reputations in Washington, choosing loyalists that are known quantities in Washington.
Other names that have floated for top security posts have included Ric Grinell, who runs a combative X account and was Trump’s U.S. ambassador to Germany, fired former national security advisor Mike Flynn, and former security official Kash Patel.
Trump vowed on the campaign trail to ‘demolish the deep state.’ He famously began his tenure with a speech in front of the CIA’s Memorial Wall in Langley, Virginia where he gave a meandering speech where he boasted about his inauguration crowd size.
Ratcliffe previously served in the House representing the 4th District of Texas.