Donald Trump unveils John Ratcliffe as his pick for CIA director in latest cabinet move

President-elect Donald Trump has announced that his former Director of National Intelligence, John Ratcliffe, is his choice to lead the CIA – citing his credentials in fighting the “fake Russian conspiracy” narrative.

Trump announced the loyalist choice, which had been floated, with a statement on a day when he announced he would tap former Arksansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as U.S. ambassador to Israel.

Once again, Trump used language suggesting it was a done deal, although the new Republican Senate will have to confirm the selection.

“I am pleased to announce that former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe will serve as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA),” Trump said.

“From exposing a fake Russian conspiracy as a campaign operation for Clinton to catching the FBI’s abuse of civil liberties in the FISA court, John Ratcliffe has always been a fighter for truth and honesty with the American public. When 51 intelligence officials lied about Hunter Biden’s laptop, there was one, John Ratcliffe, who told the truth to the American people.”

Donald Trump says he will appoint former DNI John Ratcliffe as head of the CIA

Trump’s statement makes it clear that the reason the MAGA-affiliated Ratcliffe was selected was partly because of his loyalty. Since entering the White House, Trump has railed about the Russia investigation, which began during the 2016 campaign as an investigation into contacts among Trump advisers with ties to Russia.

He has long said the investigation hampered his administration from the start. He said he was “probably entitled to another four years” in 2020 because of “the way we were treated.”

Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller found that Russia did interfere in the campaign, but he “did not find that the Trump campaign, or anyone associated with it, conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in these efforts, despite multiple attempts by individuals affiliated with Russia. to support the Trump campaign.”

Trump has vowed to “demolish the deep state.” Ratcliffe’s first qualification was his role in “unmasking fake Russian conspiracy as a Clinton campaign operation” — a sign of what he expects in the new role.

Trump raised the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election

After listing the Russia investigation, foreign intelligence courts and the Hunter Biden laptop, Trump said that “for these and many other reasons” he awarded Ratcliffe the National Security Medal in 2020.

“He will be a fearless fighter for the constitutional rights of all Americans, while safeguarding the highest levels of national security and peace through strength,” Trump concluded.

Ratcliffe, while serving as DNI, told Fox News in late October 2020, days before the election, that there was “no intelligence to support claims that Russian disinformation was behind stunning emails that emerged from Hunter Biden’s infamous laptop.”

A Wilmington repair shop owner would later come forward and say that Hunter had taken the machine in for repairs and that he discovered the information while working on it.

As with other recent choices, including Florida Senator Marco Rubio as Trump’s likely pick at the State Department, Trump has settled on officials with electoral experience and known reputations in Washington, choosing loyalists who are known in Washington are.

Other names suggested for the top security posts include Ric Grinell, who runs a combative X account and was Trump’s US ambassador to Germany, fired former national security adviser Mike Flynn, and former national security official Kash Patel.

Trump promised during his campaign to “demolish the deep state.” He famously began his term with a speech in front of the CIA’s Memorial Wall in Langley, Virginia, where he delivered a meandering speech in which he boasted about the size of the crowd at his inauguration.

Ratcliffe previously served in the House representing Texas’ 4th District.