Ratcliffe moves closer to confirming CIA with Democratic support: 5 quick points

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 went through a rocky and rocky confirmation process to become Director of National Intelligence (DNI) in 2020. But that attempt was more amicable and bipartisan, with Democrats directing their anger at President-elect Trump’s more controversial nominees.

Wednesday’s session was wide-ranging and included back-and-forth exchanges with members on a number of topics, including intelligence gathering, the threats the United States faces on a global scale, and some of Ratcliffe’s actions as director of national intelligence at the end of Trump’s first term. .

But overall, Ratcliffe appears to be as well positioned as any of Trump’s nominees.

Here are five takeaways from his hearing.

Ratcliffe vows to keep the CIA out of politics

At several points in the hearing, Ratcliffe tried to allay Democrats’ fears that the agency would become a political pawn on Trump’s chessboard, an effort that appears to be working as Ratcliffe pushes not just for confirmation, but for bipartisan support.

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), vice chairman of the committee, expressed these concerns during his opening remarks and by asking Ratcliffe whether he would resist efforts to fire or expel any CIA employees on the basis of political leanings.

The CIA nominee immediately tried to allay these concerns, pointing to his tenure as Director of National Intelligence and pledging that the CIA would maintain its apolitical nature.

“If you look at my record as Director of National Intelligence, this has never happened. This is something no one has ever claimed, and it is something I would never do,” Ratcliffe said. “I would handle this situation the same way and make the same assurances.”

Ratcliffe also answered a series of questions posed by Senator Angus King (R-Maine) regarding the independence of the CIA and keeping political leanings out of intelligence gathering, answers that appeared to be welcomed by the Senator from Maine.

“I most enjoyed my time as Director of National Intelligence and the opportunity to be apolitical,” Ratcliffe said later in the hearing. “It is absolutely essential that the CIA leader be apolitical.”

China is re-emerging as a key issue for Ratcliffe

Ratcliffe has long been a supporter of fighting China and the ruling Chinese Communist Party, and global power was a consistent 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 country since World War II — a position he doubled down during his confirmation. He called for aggressive espionage on Asian power.

“Understand that the nation that wins the race for emerging technologies today will dominate the world of tomorrow,” Ratcliffe said during his opening remarks. “Which brings me to the need for the CIA to continue and further intensify its focus on the threats posed by China and the ruling Chinese Communist Party. As Director of National Intelligence, I have significantly increased the intelligence community’s resources allocated to China.

“I explicitly warned the American people that from my unique perspective as an official who had seen more intelligence than anyone else, I assessed that China was our greatest national security threat,” Ratcliffe said. On both sides of the aisle.

The former Texas congressman also described the country as “our once-in-a-generation challenge,” adding that “the intelligence is clear.”

Democratic lawmakers have warmed to his thinking and stance on the situation since 2020.

Ratcliffe could be confirmed with bipartisan support — and quickly

Of all the odds and ends involved in the confirmation process, one thing is fairly certain: Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, will be the first official in a president-elect’s Cabinet to win Senate confirmation. Shortly after opening day.

The picture remains hazy as to who could definitely win in the early days of the Trump administration, but it is becoming increasingly clear that Ratcliffe could be among that crowd.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) told the committee before Ratcliffe adjourned that he planned to hold a committee vote on his nomination on the Monday afternoon after the inauguration.

Democrats are preparing to nominate him even though Ratcliffe won confirmation as Director of National Intelligence in 2020 in a party-line vote.

Warner told The Hill after the closed-door portion of Ratcliffe’s hearing that he viewed his nomination “positively” but stopped short of saying he would vote for him.

However, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) said Ratcliffe has his support.

“I think he’s qualified for this job. He’s a serious guy with the background,” Kelly said, adding that he appreciated Ratcliffe’s answers about speaking truth to power. “I have confidence he’ll do a good job.”

Surveillance powers without safeguards 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 the United States safe at a critical time.

When asked about the tool by Sen. Mike Rounds (R.D.), Ratcliffe noted that he had used the 702 authority during his time as attorney general and noted that his support for it had increased. He said he supports its reauthorization.

“It is critical, it is indispensable, and for its critics, no one has offered an alternative,” Ratcliffe said.

He also acknowledged to Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) that the program could be abused, saying that although he remains an ardent supporter of it, some guardrails are needed.

“but [the authority is] “It can be abused, and we must do everything we can to make sure it has the appropriate safeguards, because it cannot be at the expense of Americans’ civil liberties,” he said. “I supported those reforms and spoke out about these abuses when they occurred.”

Another Trump nominee, former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (Hawaii), had to reverse her opposition to Section 702 in order to gain potential confirmation to lead the US National Intelligence Service.

He pledged to investigate Havana Syndrome

Ratcliffe told senators that he plans to “dig deeper” into the causes of “Havana Syndrome” and anomalous health incidents amid reports that two US intelligence agencies have opened the door to the possibility that these incidents were caused by a foreign adversary. The intelligence community in general has found no such links.

The former Director of National Intelligence lamented to Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) that little progress has been made to determine who or what is responsible for a series of mysterious health ailments that have affected hundreds of American spies, diplomats and other personnel.

“I share your frustration that four years later we are still in the same place in terms of trying to make an assessment and determine what caused this,” he said. He added: “I share your frustration at not being able to understand why, but if I am confirmed and given the opportunity to be briefed on all the assessments and intelligence, my pledge to you is that I will dig deep and carefully look into this issue and work with you.” “For you to see.”

Ratcliffe noted that in addition to specific health issues, the morale of the CIA workforce and the intelligence community has been affected by ongoing reports surrounding AHIs.

In early December, the House Intelligence Committee’s subcommittee on the CIA issued a report saying there was an increased possibility that a foreign adversary was responsible for some AHI cases.

Rubio, the nominee to head the State Department, was one of the most prominent supporters of determining the causes of rheumatoid arthritis.