WASHINGTON − During his confirmation hearing on Wednesday, John Ratcliffe, Donald Trump’s nominee for CIA director, expressed his intention to implement significant changes at the country’s leading intelligence agency while assuring that he would not make hiring or firing decisions based on political beliefs.

Ratcliffe made this commitment multiple times when responding to questions from Senate Intelligence Committee Democrats, which could potentially conflict with Trump and other national security nominees who indicated they would consider political loyalty in intelligence employment.

Drawing on his experience as Director of National Intelligence during Trump’s first term, Ratcliffe stated, “If you examine my history as DNI, that kind of behavior did not occur. No one has ever alleged that, and it is something I would never do,” as he addressed Sen. Mark Warner, the ranking Democrat on the committee from Virginia.

The hearing for Ratcliffe was notably less dramatic compared to the one held for former Fox News anchor Pete Hegseth, who is Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense.

Both parties showed support for Ratcliffe, recognizing his qualifications which include his previous roles on the House Intelligence Committee and as a prominent federal prosecutor in Texas.

He consistently emphasized his intent to prioritize the growing threat from China, enhance the CIA’s technological capabilities, and make hiring and promotion decisions based solely on merit, in contrast to Trump’s commitment to eliminate diversity initiatives in national security.

“Currently, we encounter what might be the most difficult national security landscape in our history,” Ratcliffe remarked during his introductory statements.

“The Chinese Communist Party is determined to achieve global dominance in economic, technological, and military fields,” he stated. He continued by highlighting the challenges posed by violent transnational criminal organizations flooding American neighborhoods with dangerous drugs, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, and Iran’s proximity to nuclear capability.

Ratcliffe also promised to investigate the origins of the Covid-19 virus and whether foreign entities, including Russia, are linked to the mysterious cognitive injuries known as Havana Syndrome that many CIA staff members have recently experienced.

Senator Jon Ossoff, a Democrat from Georgia, inquired about a controversy Ratcliffe was involved in during his DNI tenure wherein he was accused of selectively declassifying information from the Justice Department’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election to benefit Trump’s image.

Ossoff remarked that Ratcliffe’s actions could understandably lead to suspicions about possible political motives.

In response, Ratcliffe clarified that his actions were part of a collaborative and iterative process involving multiple senior Trump administration officials to fulfill requests for information release.

Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, who heads the committee, opened the session by critiquing the CIA for repeatedly failing in its essential duties of “gathering secrets… managing spies… and hacking into computers.”

“We often find ourselves in the dark,” Cotton expressed, pointing out the intelligence community’s shortcomings in anticipating the downfall of Syrian leader Bashar Assad and other global events. “The CIA needs to return to its foundational mission.”