US President-elect Donald Trump has announced that his former director of national intelligence John Ratcliffe will lead the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) when the Republican takes back the White House in January.
Ratcliffe, 59, is anticipated to prioritize countering national security threats from foreign adversaries such as China and Iran. If confirmed by the Senate, he will lead an agency that had a contentious relationship with Trump during his first term in office.
Throughout Trump’s initial term, he frequently criticized U.S. intelligence agencies on social media while occasionally praising adversaries like Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
The contentious relationship largely stemmed from intelligence agencies’ findings that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to benefit Trump. He frequently accused the “deep state” of being “weaponized” against him and his allies. In a notable moment at the 2018 Helsinki summit, Trump publicly sided with Putin over U.S. intelligence agencies’ conclusions about Moscow’s election interference.
“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 said in a statement.
John Ratcliffe served as director of national intelligence at the end of Trump’s first term, following his tenure as a Republican congressman from Texas, where he was first elected in 2014.
