Trump selects John Ratcliffe for CIA Chief

ormer intel chief John Ratcliffe gets the nod to lead the CIA, marking the first time anyone would serve in both top U.S. intelligence roles.

Ratcliffe, who ran national intelligence in Trump’s first term, would shift from overseeing all agencies to heading the CIA specifically.

Trump praised the ex-Texas congressman as a “fearless fighter” who’ll balance constitutional rights with national security.

The Texas conservative served as the director of national intelligence from 2020 to 2021 During Trump’s first term – and his appointment served as a key argument for critics who believed that Trump was using the intelligence community to serve his political needs. During his tenure, Ratcliffe publicly released unverified information about Russia’s influence in the 2016 presidential election over the objection of members of the intelligence community. Critics claimed at the time that Ratcliffe was using intelligence to help Trump politically as the 2020 presidential election approached.

Ratcliffe stayed in his position during the 2020 election and presidential transition, during which he personally told Trump and his allies that there was no evidence of foreign election interference or widespread fraud. Years later, he was forced to testify about the experience to a federal grand jury as part of special counsel Jack Smith’s criminal probe into the aftermath of the 2020 election.