New CIA Director Ratcliffe Slams Brennan’s Tenure, Promises Overhaul
John Ratcliffe, now officially leading the CIA after his confirmation and swearing-in by Vice President JD Vance, wasted no time in addressing what he sees as major failures in the agency’s recent past. In his first interview as CIA director, Ratcliffe sharply criticized former CIA Director John Brennan, blaming him for turning the agency into a political tool rather than an intelligence-gathering institution.
During his confirmation process, Ratcliffe called out the handling of intelligence under Brennan’s leadership, citing the former director’s involvement in the discredited Hunter Biden laptop cover-up. Brennan, along with other intelligence figures, signed a letter dismissing the laptop’s contents as Russian disinformation, a claim that was later proven false and used as critical evidence in legal proceedings.
Ratcliffe stated that the agency’s credibility suffered significant damage due to political interference, pointing to the FBI’s misuse of intelligence during the 2016 election. He noted that declassified documents during his tenure as Director of National Intelligence showed the intelligence community was aware of Hillary Clinton’s funding of the Steele Dossier yet failed to act on it appropriately.
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 security clearances for Brennan and other former intelligence officials who were involved in the 2020 laptop disinformation effort. Ratcliffe supports the move, arguing that these individuals misused classified information to influence public opinion and undermine national security.
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 agency is expected to shift back to its foundational objectives — intelligence gathering and national security operations. He emphasized the need to eliminate political agendas within the agency and restore trust with the American people.
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
In addition to Brennan, Ratcliffe also criticized intelligence agencies for their failure to anticipate major geopolitical events, including recent security threats in Ukraine and the Middle East.