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John Ratcliffe emerged largely unscathed from a hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee that appeared to clear the way for him to be the next director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Ratcliffe experienced a difficult confirmation process to become director of national intelligence (DNI) in 2020. But this review was much more cordial and bipartisan, with Democrats directing their anger at the most controversial candidates in the President-elect Trump.
Wednesday’s hearing was wide-ranging and included back-and-forth exchanges with members on a variety of topics, including intelligence gathering, threats facing the U.S. on a global scale, and some of the actions de Ratcliffe as director of national intelligence at the end of Trump’s first term. .
But all in all, Ratcliffe seems to be in as good a place as any of Trump’s nominees.
Here are five takeaways from his hearing.
Ratcliffe pledges to keep the CIA apolitical
Ratcliffe at various points in the hearing sought to calm Democrats’ concerns that the agency could become a political pawn on Trump’s chessboard, an effort that appears to be working, as Ratcliffe pushes for more than just a confirmation , but with bipartisan support.
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the committee’s vice chairman, raised those concerns during opening statements, asking Ratcliffe if he would resist efforts to force out or fire any CIA employee based on political leanings .
The CIA nominee sought to quell those concerns immediately, pointing to his tenure as director of national intelligence and promising that the CIA would maintain its apolitical nature.
“If you look at my file as an ID, this never happened. That’s never something that anybody has alleged, and that’s something that I would never do,” Ratcliffe said. “I would approach that position the same way and give the same assurance.”
Ratcliffe also answered a series of questions from Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) related to the CIA’s independence and keeping political leanings out of intelligence gathering, answers the Maine senator seemed to welcome.
“I most enjoyed my time as an ID and the opportunity to be apolitical,” Ratcliffe later told the audience. “It is absolutely essential that the leader of the CIA be apolitical.”
China again emerges as a key theme for Ratcliffe
Ratcliffe has long been an advocate of the fight against China and its ruling Chinese Communist Party, and world power was a constant theme throughout the hearing.
During Ratcliffe’s tenure as director of national intelligence, he warned that China posed the greatest threat to the United States of any nation since World War II, a position that has doubled during his tenure as confirmation He has advocated for aggressive Asian power espionage.
“Understand that the nation that wins the emerging technology race today will dominate the world tomorrow,” Ratcliffe said during his opening remarks. “Which brings me to the need for the CIA to continue and intensify its focus on the threats posed by China and its ruling Chinese Communist Party. As DNI, I dramatically increased the resources of the intelligence dedicated to China”.
“I openly warned the American people that from my unique vantage point as an official who saw more intelligence than anyone else, I assessed that China was far and away our greatest national security threat,” he said. Ratcliffe, and noted that his sentiment is increasingly shared by those. on both sides of the corridor.
The former Texas congressman also called the country “our once-in-a-generation challenge,” adding that “the intelligence is clear.”
Democratic lawmakers have been enthusiastic about his thinking and stance on the situation since 2020.
Ratcliffe could be confirmed with bipartisan support and quickly
Of all the potential and maybe involved in the confirmation process, one thing is pretty certain: Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State, will be the first of the president’s cabinet officials elected to obtain the approval of the Senate. shortly after opening day.
The picture remains murky about who else might win confirmation in the early days of the Trump administration, but it’s increasingly clear that Ratcliffe could be among that crowd.
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) told the panel before adjourning Ratcliffe’s hearing that he plans to hold a committee vote on his nomination Monday afternoon after the inauguration.
Democrats are cozying up to his nomination despite Ratcliffe winning confirmation as director of national intelligence in 2020 on a party-line vote.
Warner told The Hill after the closed-door portion of Ratcliffe’s hearing that he views his nomination “favorably,” but stopped short of saying he will vote for him.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), however, said Ratcliffe has his support.
“I think he’s qualified for the job. He’s a serious guy and he’s got the background,” Kelly said, adding that he appreciated Ratcliffe’s answers about speaking truth to power. “I have confidence that he will do a good job.”
Warrantless surveillance powers play a key role
Ratcliffe offered a strong defense of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows warrantless surveillance of foreign targets, calling it an important tool to keep America safe at a critical time.
When asked about the tool by Senator Mike Rounds (RSD), Ratcliffe noted that he used 702 powers during his time as prosecutor and indicated that its support has only grown. He said he supports its reauthorization.
“It’s critical, it’s indispensable, and for the critics, no one has offered a replacement,” Ratcliffe said.
He also acknowledged to Sen. James Lankford (R-Oklahoma) that the program could be abused, saying that while he remains a staunch supporter of it, some guardrails are needed.
“But (the authority is) one that can be abused and we have to do everything we can to make sure that it has the right safeguards, because you can’t sacrifice the civil liberties of Americans,” he said. “I have supported these reforms and reported these abuses when they occurred.”
Another Trump nominee, former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), has been forced to back down on her opposition to Section 702 in order to win confirmation to lead the intelligence apparatus national of the United States.
A commitment to research the Havana syndrome
Ratcliffe told senators he plans to “go deeper” into the causes of “Havana syndrome” and anomalous health incidents (AHI) amid reports that two US intelligence agencies opened the leads to the possibility that these incidents were caused by a foreign adversary. The intelligence community at large has not found these links.
The former director of national intelligence lamented to Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) that little progress has been made in determining who or what is responsible for a series of mysterious health problems that have affected hundreds of ‘spies, diplomats and other US personnel.
“I share your frustration because four years later we are very much in the same place in terms of trying to make an assessment and determination as to the cause of this,” he said. “I share your frustration at not being able to understand why, but if it is confirmed and I have the opportunity to be briefed on all the assessments and intelligence, my commitment to you is that I will take a deep and hard look at this issue and work with let’s see.”
Ratcliffe noted that beyond the specific health issues, the morale of the CIA workforce and the intelligence community has been affected by the ongoing reports about AHIs.
In early December, the House Intelligence Committee’s CIA subcommittee issued a report saying there is an increasing likelihood that a foreign adversary was responsible for some of the AHI cases.
Rubio, the nominee to lead the State Department, has also been a leading proponent of determining the causes of AHI.
