Trump taps Ratcliffe for CIA; Witkoff named Middle East envoy
Donald Trump announced that he intends to nominate former Congressman and Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe as the new head of the Central Intelligence Agency.
During the announcement of Ratcliffe's nomination, Trump, who served during his first term as Director of National Intelligence, particularly highlighted Ratcliffe's achievements related to Russiagate. According to Trump, Ratcliffe was "exposing fake Russian collusion to be a Clinton campaign."
Trump stated that former Republican Congressman Ratcliffe was the only person who was "telling the truth to the American People" about the content of Hunter Biden's laptop during the 2020 election, despite suspicions of Russian involvement in the publication of those materials.
"I look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both our Nation's highest Intelligence positions. He will be a fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans, while ensuring the Highest Level of National Security and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH," wrote Trump.
Ratcliffe faced accusations of politicizing the agency's activities and manipulating intelligence information during his previous service as the U.S. intelligence coordinator.
This included interpretations of the Russian intelligence reports from 2016, which indicated that Hillary Clinton allegedly attempted to divert attention from the Democratic email leak by accusing Trump of ties with Russia.
Trump announced nominations for Middle East envoy
Shortly before announcing Ratcliffe's nomination, Trump also revealed that businessman Steven Witkoff would be his special envoy for the Middle East.
Steven Witkoff, a businessman associated with the real estate sector, openly admits to a long-term friendship with Trump. He is also one of the leading donors to Trump's campaign, encouraging other Jewish and pro-Israel investors to support him. During public appearances, Witkoff has repeatedly praised the actions of Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, particularly regarding the situation in the Gaza Strip.
Witkoff will take over duties from Brett McGurk, who was responsible for Middle East strategy under four previous administrations and focused on combating ISIS during Trump's presidency.
Additionally, the president-elect announced his decision to nominate Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas, as the U.S. ambassador to Israel. Huckabee, like Witkoff, holds strong pro-Israel views, opposing the creation of a Palestinian state and supporting Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
