
John Ratcliffe, now officially leading the CIA following his confirmation and swearing-in by Vice President JD Vance, has wasted no time in addressing what he sees as a history of politicization within the agency. Speaking in his first interview as director, Ratcliffe sharply criticized former CIA Director John Brennan, calling his leadership a troubling period that undermined public trust in intelligence operations.
During his confirmation process, Ratcliffe made it clear that he intends to steer the agency away from political interference. He pointed to the handling of the Hunter Biden laptop story, where Brennan and other intelligence officials signed a letter dismissing the scandal as Russian disinformation. Ratcliffe argued that their actions misled the public and influenced the 2020 election.
Ratcliffe also took aim at the broader intelligence community, referencing what he described as politically motivated decisions that date back to the 2016 election. He cited declassified documents from his tenure as Director of National Intelligence that revealed the intelligence community knew of Hillary Clinton’s connection to the Steele Dossier but proceeded with investigations that fueled the Russia collusion narrative.
I like this man more already!
Ratcliffe said Brennan was one of the worst things that ever happened to the CIA.Do you agree with him? (I do!) 😀 pic.twitter.com/i6QxblQGlP
— Croxxed Out (@FLCons) January 23, 2025
President Donald Trump recently revoked Brennan’s security clearance, along with several others who were involved in signing the laptop letter. Ratcliffe supported the move, arguing that officials should not retain access to classified materials after compromising the integrity of the intelligence community.
Former Obama CIA director John Brennan says Tulsi Gabbard "doesn't have the right perspective" to be Director of National Intelligence.
So let's remind people:
-John Brennan voted for the Communist presidential candidate when in college.
-John Brennan lied under oath to the… pic.twitter.com/xKHfeVIMUq— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) November 14, 2024
Barack Obama’s Chief of Staff John Brennan running to Jake Tapper – slams Trump’s CIA Director John Ratcliffe for releasing documents CONFIRMING he briefed Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Susan Lice, James Comey on Hillary’s Russia Collusion Hoax:
pic.twitter.com/TeKTjg2bOo— Johnny Midnight ⚡️ (@its_The_Dr) January 22, 2025
Under Ratcliffe’s leadership, the CIA is expected to move away from political distractions and focus on intelligence gathering and national security efforts. He emphasized that restoring the agency’s credibility is essential to regaining public confidence.
This is a SEPT 29, 2020 Letter from Ratcliffe to Lindsey Graham regarding Brennan, Hillary, and Comey discussing stirring up Russian disinformation focused on Pres Trump to distract from Hillary server. Barr knew about the Russia collusion b.s. while Pres Trump ran for office the… pic.twitter.com/QqCNETz7lr
— Futurist™ (@americasgreat) January 22, 2025
CIA Director, John Ratcliffe’s goal is “restoring the world's most preeminent intelligence agency to its core primary objectives”.
John Brennan created a huge mess that Ratcliffe will have to clean up.
🔗 to article in comments pic.twitter.com/RgFUT4uvdO
— ❥❥❥ᗰoᒪᒪie❥❥❥ (@mollie_don) January 24, 2025
Looking forward, Ratcliffe stated that one of his top goals is to ensure intelligence operations prioritize national security without the influence of partisan interests.