John Ratcliffe, President-elect Donald J. Trump's nominee to head the CIA, faced questions from senators on Wednesday about his intelligence agency's declassification decisions and ability to provide unvarnished assessments, and he is facing questions from senators on Wednesday about the agency's declassification decisions and ability to provide unvarnished assessments. He stated his vision for the institution.
Ratcliffe's confirmation is almost certain, with the full Senate likely to vote on him shortly after Trump's inauguration on Monday. During the first Trump administration, the Senate confirmed Ratcliffe (49-44) as Director of National Intelligence. He became the first director of national intelligence to take office without opposition support.
But senators from both parties now view Ratcliffe as one of Trump's more capable senior officials, and his focus on the Chinese threat is widely shared by Republicans and Democrats.
In his opening comments, Mr. Ratcliffe outlined his vision for an agency that provides information without political bias. He said he would not discuss specific intelligence priorities, but promised to make the CIA less risk-averse and more willing to carry out covert actions at the president's command. do. “
In his opening statement, Mr. Ratcliffe pledged that the CIA would collect intelligence from every corner of the globe, “no matter how dark or difficult.”
He also promised that the agency's analysis would be objective and that it would “never allow political or personal bias to cloud our judgment or influence our products.” .
Ratcliffe reminded him of the CIA's predecessor, the Office of Strategic Affairs, and said the agency's ideal hire would be a “Ph.D.” Who can win a bar fight? ”
“This sentiment is the essence of what the CIA needs to recapture today,” Ratcliffe said.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas and the new chairman of the Intelligence Committee, struck a similar theme, arguing that the committee needs to become bolder and more innovative in its covert actions. Although he did not provide details, Cotton said the Biden administration's cowardice in its overt actions also extended to its covert actions. “This country needs a stronger, more aggressive CIA,” he said.
Ratcliffe is likely to receive some support from the Democratic Party with this nomination, but it is unclear how much support he will receive. Some Democrats have expressed concerns about whether Trump's pick for the top intelligence post will provide unvarnished information. Mr. Ratcliffe developed a close relationship with Mr. Trump, especially at the end of his first administration, taking over some of the intelligence reporting duties that were often handled by senior executives.
During Trump's first term, Ratcliffe warned the public about interference in the 2020 election and drew attention to efforts by Russia, Iran and China to influence the vote. A subsequent intelligence assessment by the Biden administration confirmed these warnings. But Ratcliffe also declassified some information related to Russian activities in 2016, over the objections of CIA officials who believed releasing the material would damage the sources and collection methods. . Trump's Republican allies had sought the material, saying it would undermine claims that Russia tried to interfere in the 2016 election on Trump's behalf.
The only tough questions for Mr. Ratcliffe on Wednesday came from Sens. Jon Ossoff, D-Georgia, and Mark Kelly, D-Arizona, both of whom asked about the decision to release supplies.
Mr. Ossoff criticized Mr. Ratcliffe for declassifying the intelligence community on the same day of the 2020 presidential debate, during which Mr. Trump mentioned the intelligence community.
Ratcliffe said he did not recall the information being released on the same day, and that while it was his decision to declassify the material, he was not responsible for the process of releasing it. He added that steps were taken to protect the source at the time.
In response to a question from Kelly, Ratcliffe said he hadn't made every decision perfectly, but added: “Most of the things I've done have aged very well.”
The Democratic minority also questioned Mr. Ratcliffe about Mr. Trump's attacks on the intelligence community and his ability to provide information that could conflict with the president-elect's worldview.
Throughout his first term, Trump attacked the intelligence community and its leaders. He has often made dark references to the “deep state,” a group of national security officials who oppose his policies. And he and his aides are discussing ousting government officials they deem disloyal to the White House.
Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine, said the trust Trump had in Ratcliffe was an asset and urged him to work to change the president-elect's view of the intelligence community. did.
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, said the hearing was an opportunity for Ratcliffe to reassure CIA officials that they would not be exposed to retaliation for being “willing to speak truth to power.” Ta.
Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, asked Ratcliffe about a provision known as Section 702 that allows the government to collect communications with foreign targets, including those they interact with Americans, without a warrant. I asked him for his opinion.
Several Republican senators have expressed concerns about Trump's pick for director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, and her past criticism of the program. Faced with these concerns, Gabbard changed her stance.
Ratcliffe said he believes warrantless collection is “an essential tool for national security” and said widespread collection under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act accounts for more than half of actionable information. Ta.
But Trump has occasionally criticized the program. Mr Ratcliffe said the information could be misused and supported enforcing safeguards in place to collect it.
“This is an important and essential tool,” he said. “But this can be exploited and cannot be achieved at the expense of American civil liberties, so we must do everything in our power to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place.”
In response to a question from Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, Ratcliffe said he would seek reauthorization of the provision. He said the statute needs to be revised and critics say it needs to provide a way to replace the information that would be lost if the program was not reauthorized.
Cotton criticized the U.S. intelligence community for failing to anticipate threats like the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and told Ratcliffe that the CIA “is working to help us get back on track.” “I called on them to encourage change at the CIA.” Its roots. ”
Cotton praised the agents but said the CIA had neglected its core mission of covertly gathering foreign intelligence. Too often, policymakers were “in the dark,” he said.
“Put simply, it's stealing secrets,” Cotton continued. “Information gathering is the main effort. All other tasks are supporting efforts.”
The senator said he has seen too many intelligence reports based on press reports and diplomatic cables.
“These sources are not critical, but if you don't have confidential information, you could get briefings from the State Department or a think tank or just read the newspapers,” Cotton said.
He attacked the CIA for being too quick to adjust intelligence reports to the Biden administration's views, including on Israel's ability to destroy Hezbollah's military power. He also criticized the agency's efforts to diversify its workforce, saying it pays too much to consultants who focus on diversity, equity and inclusion.
During the hearing, Ratcliffe said he wanted the CIA to be “the ultimate meritocracy.” He also said he would empower “brave risk-takers and innovators” but would not tolerate distractions from its core mission.
