In his first interview as CIA director, John Ratcliffe pledged to depoliticize the agency, criticizing former CIA Director John Brennan's tenure as a key source of politicization and inefficiency within the intelligence community, Breitbart reported.
"It would be fair to say his tenure was one of the worst things that has ever happened to the agency," Ratcliffe said. He accused Brennan of politicizing intelligence during his tenure under President Barack Obama.
Ratcliffe, who previously served as director of national intelligence during President Donald Trump's first term, emphasized the importance of returning the CIA to its "core mission" of producing objective intelligence.
"There are challenges within the intelligence community and skepticism," Ratcliffe said. "The American people saw ... the FBI misuse intelligence authorities and the politicization of intelligence under Brennan. Restoring public confidence is a top priority."
He claimed Brennan's efforts to "modernize" the CIA, claiming they were driven by a "social justice agenda" that prioritized political considerations over merit-based performance. He attributed that shift to a decline in the agency's ability to collect and analyze high-quality intelligence, which he said contributed to recent intelligence failures, including assessments in Ukraine and the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks.
The CIA needs to be the world's best foreign intelligence agency, Ratcliffe said. That means "collecting human intelligence," "conducting covert actions" authorized by the president, and "keeping America's national security information safe."
He further criticized Brennan's political history, pointing to his past support for a Communist Party candidate and questioning Obama’s decision to appoint him as CIA director. He noted that under Brennan, the agency moved away from apolitical intelligence gathering and analysis, which he believes led to significant lapses in judgment and compromised national security.
Ratcliffe said we need good intelligence to inform good decisions and that Trump needs actionable, objective intelligence to address key challenges like countering China's ambitions, stopping Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, and holding adversaries accountable.
He pledged to eliminate the influence of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, which he claimed undermined the CIA's meritocratic culture.
"I say this: Under President Trump and under me at the CIA, someone's race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, and preference shouldn't inhibit anyone's success, nor should it be an entitlement to success or advancement," he said.
"We're going back to a true meritocracy, where everyone in the federal government can go as high and as far as their abilities can carry them. And that's what should be the metrics of success."
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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