John Ratcliffe, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Central Intelligence Agency, told senators during his confirmation hearing on Wednesday that the top spy agency must do a better job of countering global threats from Russia, China and other adversaries.
Former Director of National Intelligence during President Trump's first term, former lawmaker John Ratcliffe, told senators that if confirmed as CIA director, the intelligence agency would do more to harness technologies like artificial intelligence and quantum computers while expanding the agency's ability to collect more data from human sources.
"We're not where we're supposed to be ," Mr. Ratcliffe told the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Mr. Ratcliffe said he sees China as America's greatest geopolitical rival, with Russia, Iran, North Korea and drug cartels, hacking gangs and terrorist organizations also posing challenges to national security.
While Republican lawmakers praised Mr. Ratcliffe’s experience, Democrats and an independent senator expressed skepticism. They asked Mr. Ratcliffe whether his loyalty to Mr. Trump would conflict with his duty to pursue intelligence no matter where it took him. Mr. Ratcliffe assured lawmakers that the CIA’s mission would come first.
“Will you or any of your staff impose a political litmus test on CIA employees?” asked independent Senator Angus King, who represents the state of Maine. “No ,” was Mr. Ratcliffe’s response.
Mr. Ratcliffe told lawmakers that he supports the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a program that allows authorities to collect intelligence on the communications of non-Americans outside the United States. If those individuals communicate with Americans, the recorded conversations can be deleted, a fact that has raised questions about privacy rights.
Mr. Ratcliffe said the rules in place are designed to ensure Americans' privacy is protected. It's not perfect, Mr. Ratcliffe said of the law, but: "It's critical and necessary."
A former federal prosecutor, Ratcliffe also served in the US Congress as a representative from Texas. He was a fierce defender of President Trump during the early stages of his impeachment proceedings in the House of Representatives.
After a two-hour questioning session for Mr. Ratcliffe, the committee continued its work behind closed doors to discuss sensitive or confidential intelligence matters.
The hearing is part of a week-long marathon as the Republican-led Senate rushes to confirm key figures in the new government's cabinet by the full Senate before Monday, when Mr. Trump is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States.
Mr. Trump and other Republicans have criticized the work of the CIA and other intelligence agencies, saying it is too focused on issues such as climate change or employee diversity.
The committee's chairman, Senator Tom Cotton, who represents the state of Arkansas, cited the recent case in New Orleans as an example of a deadly attack that occurred without any warning from intelligence agencies.
“In these dangerous times, our intelligence agencies have failed to anticipate major events or detect potential attacks,” Rep. Cotton said during a hearing Wednesday. “I could give other examples, but suffice it to say that too often we are in the dark... The CIA has neglected its core mission.”
Calls for sweeping changes have worried some current intelligence officials and some who worked in the field in the past, who say the changes could make the country less safe.
If confirmed, Ratcliffe would replace outgoing CIA Director William Burns. He would become the first Central Intelligence Agency director to have previously headed National Intelligence./VOA (A2 Televizion)
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