Trump picks hardliner Mike Huckabee as US ambassador to Israel
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Trump Appoints John Ratcliffe as CIA Director
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Above: John Ratcliffe speaks during a House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic hearing in Washington, DC, on April 18, 2023. Image copyright: Al Drago/Contributor/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Facts
Pres.-elect Donald Trump has nominated former Texas congressman John Ratcliffe as the CIA director in his second administration. Ratcliffe previously served as director of national intelligence under him from 2020 to 2021.
Trump first sought to nominate him as director of national intelligence in 2019, but he withdrew the nomination due to backlash from Senate Republicans over Ratcliffe's lack of experience. However, senators later shifted their views and confirmed him the following year.
The Spin
Republican narrative
After years of US intelligence agencies actively working against the American people, Trump is appointing officials who care about national security and constitutional rights. Ratcliffe was one of the leading players in exposing the lies surrounding the Russia collusion hoax and the genuine Hunter Biden laptop scandal. The country deserves a CIA director who goes after bad guys abroad, not good guys at home.
Democratic narrative
While Ratcliffe may finally have some national security experience, he is still a partisan politician at heart. After declassifying faulty Russian intelligence to hurt Clinton, the American people can expect more of the same as he enters an arguably more powerful role. CIA employees are going to be very cautious around this politically motivated appointee.
