Trump’s Pick to Lead CIA Wants Better Intelligence on China

(Bloomberg) -- The Central Intelligence Agency must heighten its focus on the threats posed by China and expand the volume of intelligence that officers collect around the world, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to lead the spy service told a Senate confirmation hearing.

Most Read from Bloomberg

John Ratcliffe, a former Texas congressman who led the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in Trump’s first term and appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday, said the agency had a vital role to play in the rivalry between the two superpowers.

ADVERTISEMENT

“This is our once-in-a-generation challenge,” Ratcliffe, 59, said in his opening statement. “The intelligence is clear. Our response must be as well.”

Providing the best information on China to the president and policymakers, he added, was vital to “the hopes of preserving peace and spreading prosperity.”

He added that it was more important than ever for the CIA to understand the capabilities America’s adversaries are developing in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, hypersonics and emerging space technologies, along with their innovations in counterintelligence and surveillance.

If confirmed, Ratcliffe said his priority would be a “strict adherence to the CIA’s mission,” pledging to collect human intelligence “in every corner of the globe, no matter how dark or difficult.” He also promised the agency would produce objective analysis and not allow political or personal biases to “cloud our judgment or infect our products.”

The politicization of intelligence was a key topic of the hearing. Ratcliffe declassified Russia-related documents as head of the ODNI in what was seen as an effort to buoy Trump’s arguments that investigations into Moscow’s election interference were a hoax.

ADVERTISEMENT

The intelligence assessments regarding Russia’s election interference in Trump’s first term led to a hostile relationship between the then-president and the intelligence community. Trump famously sided with Putin over his own agencies’ assessment of Moscow’s meddling and accused the “deep state” of being “weaponized” against him, his allies and supporters.

During the hearing Senator Jon Ossoff, a Democrat from Georgia, questioned Ratcliffe around the timing of the declassification of those Russia documents, noting it took place the same day of a presidential debate in 2020.

“It was my decision but it wasn’t my process,” Ratcliffe said in his response, noting the declassification stemmed from requests made by the attorney general and the special counsel. It also followed months of back and forth to redact the documents in ways that would protect sources and methods, he said.

Democratic Mark Warner of Virginia, the committee’s vice chairman, in his own opening pressed Ratcliffe for his public assurance that he would provide the president, his cabinet and lawmakers with “unbiased, unvarnished and timely” intelligence assessments and “even when it might be inconvenient or uncomfortable.”

He also urged Ratcliffe to “reassure the men and women of the CIA that they need not fear reprisal for speaking truth to power,” citing “undeserved” attacks from Trump.

ADVERTISEMENT

“I need your commitment that you will not fire or force out CIA employees because of their perceived political views, and that you will not ask these employees to place loyalty to a political figure above loyalty to country,” Warner said.

Ratcliffe responded during the hearing that it’s “absolutely essential” the CIA chief is apolitical. As for firing staff based on their views, he pointed to his record at ODNI in Trump’s first term.

“That never took place,” he said. “It’s something I would never do.”

The confirmation hearing, one of several held for Trump’s cabinet nominees this week, is seen largely as a formality for Ratcliffe, since he has already helmed the office that leads 18 US intelligence agencies.

Ratcliffe is also a less contentious pick than nominees such as former Representative Tulsi Gabbard, who’s been chosen to lead the ODNI now. She has faced intense scrutiny over comments viewed as sympathetic to Russian President Vladimir Putin and a 2017 trip to Syria where she met the now-ousted dictator Bashar Al-Assad.

ADVERTISEMENT

Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas who chairs the committee, said that US lawmakers “need more” from the CIA, saying the intelligence agencies failed to forewarn committee members about the terrorist attack in New Orleans and the recent collapse of the Assad regime.

“In these dangerous times, our intelligence agencies haven’t anticipated major events or detected impending attacks,” Cotton said. “We’re too often in the dark.”

Ratcliffe said he believed fewer intelligence lapses would occur under his leadership if the agency were to step up its collection of human intelligence as part of his plan.

The intelligence committee is set to vote on Ratcliffe’s nomination the afternoon of Jan. 20, Cotton said.

(Updates with hearing details from ninth paragraph.)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

©2025 Bloomberg L.P.