WASHINGTON — On Wednesday, lawmakers on Capitol Hill will interrogate President-elect Donald Trump’s candidate to lead the CIA regarding his plans for one of America’s most vital intelligence organizations.
John Ratcliffe, who previously held the role of director of national intelligence throughout Trump’s initial term, is a former federal prosecutor and a staunch conservative representing a region in Texas. He played a prominent role as a defender of Trump during the impeachment proceedings that took place in the House.
His upcoming hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee is part of an intense week as the Republican-controlled Senate hastens to confirm several of Trump’s nominees ahead of Inauguration Day on Monday.
If Ratcliffe receives the Senate’s approval, he will take over from outgoing CIA Director William Burns.
Trump initially nominated Ratcliffe for the director of national intelligence position in 2019, but he withdrew from consideration shortly after due to concerns raised by lawmakers regarding his qualifications. Nevertheless, he was eventually confirmed by a narrowly divided Senate after Trump re-nominated him.
In his previous role, Ratcliffe coordinated operations among more than a dozen intelligence agencies and was responsible for spearheading initiatives aimed at identifying and counteracting foreign attempts to influence U.S. political processes.
This background is likely to enhance Ratcliffe’s prospects for confirmation in the Senate this time around, especially in comparison to Trump’s earlier nomination of Tulsi Gabbard for the same position. Gabbard, a former congresswoman from Hawaii, faced bipartisan backlash for her prior remarks that appeared to support Russia and for her meetings with Bashar Assad, the former president of Syria, in 2017.
Ratcliffe is known for his strong loyalty to Trump, much like other nominees from this administration. He not only defended Trump vigorously during the impeachment efforts but also challenged former special counsel Robert Mueller aggressively during the latter’s testimony regarding the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
During his term as director of national intelligence, he faced accusations from Democrats about politicizing intelligence, particularly when he declassified Russian intelligence that seemingly disclosed information about Democrats in the 2016 election, despite acknowledging the potential inaccuracies of that information.
