Ratcliffe Hearing Begins In The Senate

Capitol Hill was buzzing on Wednesday as confirmation hearings for several of President-elect Donald Trump’s key appointments got underway. Pam Bondi’s explosive hearing for Attorney General stole a lot of the spotlight, but if you were paying attention, John Ratcliffe’s testimony for CIA Director was the one that sent a clear, unmistakable message: the politicization of the intelligence community is about to end, and it’s about time.

Ratcliffe wasted no time laying out his vision for a reformed and revitalized CIA. In his opening remarks, he got straight to the point: under his leadership, the CIA would return to its core mission—collecting intelligence, conducting covert actions, and producing unbiased, objective analysis for the protection of the American people. In other words, gone are the days of promoting agendas and pushing narratives at the expense of truth. And if anyone working at the CIA has a problem with that, Ratcliffe had a simple suggestion: “It’s time to find a new line of work.”

That last line is what made heads turn. Ratcliffe made it clear that the woke nonsense infecting every corner of the federal bureaucracy has no place at Langley. This isn’t the time or place for DEI programs or playing office politics for promotions. The CIA isn’t a country club or a corporate boardroom. It’s a high-stakes organization tasked with defending the nation, often from enemies we can’t see, and in places most of us would never dare to go. Merit, skill, and courage are the only qualifications that should matter—and Ratcliffe unapologetically put everyone on notice.

What sets Ratcliffe apart is his track record of standing firm under fire, particularly when it comes to telling inconvenient truths. Case in point: the Hunter Biden laptop debacle. Back in 2020, when Rep. Adam Schiff and 51 intelligence officials falsely labeled the laptop as “Russian disinformation,” Ratcliffe stood alone, telling the American people that the intelligence community had no evidence to support those claims. While Schiff made his usual rounds on cable news spinning outright lies, Ratcliffe was one of the only voices willing to challenge the narrative. And he was right. Schiff has since been censured by the House for his behavior, and Ratcliffe has been vindicated.

That moment wasn’t just about a laptop; it was a clear demonstration of Ratcliffe’s willingness to put the truth above politics, even when it meant standing in the crosshairs of the media and the Left. That’s exactly the kind of integrity needed to clean up the mess that is the modern CIA, which has become far too comfortable stepping outside its lane. From meddling in domestic affairs to playing partisan games, the CIA has veered off course, and Ratcliffe seems determined to right the ship.

Let’s also not forget Ratcliffe’s blunt but necessary critique of the bloat at the top of the intelligence community. He’s not interested in building bureaucratic empires. He’s interested in empowering warfighters, analysts, and operatives—the people actually doing the work. The idea of a “lean, mean fighting machine” has been lost on these agencies for far too long, and Ratcliffe’s no-nonsense approach is exactly what the CIA needs to rediscover its mission.

In his remarks, Ratcliffe made it clear that the politicization and weaponization of the CIA stop now. For far too long, intelligence agencies have been used as tools to target political opponents and push partisan agendas. That era, according to Ratcliffe, is over. Under his leadership, intelligence will once again serve its true purpose: defending the American people and advancing the nation’s interests. And if that sounds like a problem for anyone still clinging to the old way of doing things, well, there’s the door.

John Ratcliffe isn’t just a good pick for CIA Director; he’s the perfect pick. His integrity, courage, and refusal to bow to political pressure make him exactly the leader this agency—and the country—needs. The Left can whine all they want, but the fact is, Ratcliffe is about to bring accountability and competence back to an agency that’s been running wild for far too long. Buckle up—it’s going to be a much-needed shake-up.