A month after being confirmed by the United States Senate to head the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Director John Ratcliffe dismissed concerns this week that fired agents would offer classified information to foreign adversaries.
The CIA had offered eight months of pay and benefits to employees who were willing to take a government buyout – one similar to the buyouts being offered to other federal workers as part of the White House’s efforts to streamline the government workforce. However, some employees, including those handling high-priority tasks at the nation’s foreign intelligence agency, were not eligible for the offer.
There has reportedly been speculation within the intelligence community that workers who have been fired or have taken the buyouts could offer classified secrets to nations such as China or Russia. Ratcliffe told Fox News in a statement that it was unlikely.
“Any individual who would be willing to sell the Nation’s secrets to a foreign adversary has no place working at the Agency that plays an incredible role in keeping Americans safe every day,” Ratcliffe explained.
From Federal Prosecutor to Head of the CIA
It was on January 23 of this year that Ratcliffe was sworn in as the ninth director of the CIA. The 59-year-old previously served as director of national intelligence during the final year of President Donald Trump’s first term. A former federal prosecutor, Ratcliffe had been elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2014, representing Texas’s 4th district until 2020.
He had been previously named to the post a year earlier but withdrew after Republican senators expressed concerns. Less than a year later, however, Trump nominated Ratcliffe again, and he received Senate approval.
Last November, Trump announced he would nominate Ratcliffe to head the CIA, and the former lawmaker was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in a 74-25 vote, with many Democratic lawmakers voting no.
“It is the privilege of a lifetime to lead the patriotic men and women of the CIA, an agency so vital to America’s national security and one with a culture of unwavering commitment to mission,” Ratcliffe said after being sworn in as the CIA’s new director.
Spotlight on The Director of the CIA
John Ratcliffe is now the first person to ever serve as both the director of national intelligence (DNI) and as director of the CIA (D/CIA), and it could be argued this is actually a “demotion” for him, as the D/CIA reports to the DNI. Moreover, the head of the CIA is also nominated by the president and with a recommendation from the DNI.
Where it also becomes a bit confusing is that Ratcliffe is just the ninth director of the CIA – despite the fact that the agency was formed more than 77 years ago. This is because, before December 17, 2004, the director of central intelligence (DCI) served as both the head of the intelligence community (IC) and the CIA, while further serving as an advisor to the president on intelligence matters.
The post of DCI had been created by President Harry S. Truman and predated the CIA by more than a year. Following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, there were calls to reorganize the IC.
The passage of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act in December 2004 split the DCI’s duties into two offices: the Office of DNI, which serves as the head of the IC and advises the National Security Council (NSC) on intelligence matters; and the D/CIA, which continues to serve as the chief administrator of the CIA.
During the first Trump administration, the D/CIA was elevated to a cabinet position, and while that ended with the beginning of the Biden administration, it was elevated again to the cabinet in July 2023.
Renewed Focus on Challenges to National Security
Ratcliffe said during his confirmation hearing that he views China as the United States’ greatest geopolitical rival, and has called for the U.S. to put greater focus on potential national security threats – including those from Russia, Iran, and North Korea. He has also warned of the danger from foreign drug cartels, hacking groups, and terrorist organizations.
He has said he supports the Foreign Intelligence Act (FISA), which allows the government to collect communications of non-Americans without a warrant, including those individuals who may be communicating with American citizens.
According to his official bio on the CIA website, “Ratcliffe received the National Security Medal, the nation’s highest honor for distinguished achievement in the field of intelligence and national security, and the Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal. He earned a bachelor’s degree in government and international studies from the University of Notre Dame and his doctoral degree in law from Southern Methodist University School of Law.”
