CIA Director John Ratcliffe publicly criticized an Atlantic journalist during his testimony before the House Intelligence Committee, claiming the reporter’s article regarding a Signal chat involving Trump administration officials was misleading and “deliberately false.”
Ratcliffe’s comments were made in conjunction with other intelligence leaders, including FBI Director Kash Patel and NSA Director Gen. Timothy Haugh.
In his defense, Ratcliffe emphasized his primary role as CIA Director: to safeguard national security by countering terrorism.
He stated, “That’s exactly what I did along with President Trump’s excellent national security team,” urging that the focus should remain on their successful missions rather than the inaccuracies reported.
The article in question suggested that Ratcliffe transmitted classified information via hidden messages in the Signal chat, which reportedly included him by mistake.
He spent four hours fielding inquiries from Senators stemming from these allegations. However, he asserted that the messages in question had been disclosed, confirming that he did not transmit any classified information.
Ratcliffe further pointed out that the report inaccurately claimed he revealed the identity of an undercover CIA operative, when in fact he had only mentioned his chief of staff, who is not undercover.
Ratcliffe maintained that he adhered to appropriate communication protocols and that the focus should be on the effectiveness of their operations.
He concluded his statements by reiterating that the successful mission of eliminating threats should take precedence over erroneous reporting.
This incident highlights ongoing tensions between government officials and media narratives, especially in matters concerning national security and intelligence operations.
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