By DAVID KLEPPER, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Wednesday will question President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the CIA on his vision for America’s premier spy agency.
John Ratcliffe, who served as director of national intelligence during Trump’s first term, is a former federal prosecutor and conservative member of Congress representing a district in Texas. He was a fierce defender of Trump during his first impeachment proceedings in the House.
His hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee is part of a weeklong marathon as the Republican-led Senate rushes to have some of Trump’s nominees ready to be confirmed by the full Senate as soon as Inauguration Day on Monday.
If approved, Ratcliffe will succeed outgoing CIA Director William Burns.
Trump first tapped Ratcliffe to serve as director of national intelligence in 2019, but he quickly withdrew from consideration after lawmakers raised questions about his qualifications. He was ultimately confirmed by a sharply divided Senate after Trump resubmitted the nomination.
As director of national intelligence, Ratcliffe oversaw and coordinated the work of more than a dozen spy agencies. Among other duties, the office directs efforts to detect and counter foreign efforts to influence U.S. politics.
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That experience is expected to boost Ratcliffe’s chances in the Senate this year, especially compared with Trump’s nomination of Tulsi Gabbard to serve as director of national intelligence. Gabbard, a former congresswoman from Hawaii, has faced bipartisan criticism over past comments supportive of Russia and 2017 meetings with former Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Like other Trump nominees, Ratcliffe is a Trump loyalist. Aside from his work to defend Trump during his first impeachment proceedings, Ratcliffe also forcefully questioned former special counsel Robert Mueller when he testified before lawmakers about his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
As director of national intelligence, Ratcliffe was accused by Democrats of politicizing intelligence when he declassified Russian intelligence that purported to reveal information about Democrats during the 2016 election even as he acknowledged the information might not be accurate.
