John Ratcliffe Says He Was Surprised as Director of National Intelligence to See Information No Member of Congress Knew

Endorses “Appropriate Safeguards” for Section 702

Creator: Doug Mills | Credit: AP

​John Ratcliffe slid though his confirmation hearing for his nomination as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency on a greased toboggan. Along the way, he offered encouraging glimpses into his thinking about surveillance reform.
 
Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) spoke up for Section 702, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act authority that allows federal agencies to surveil foreign threats on foreign soil. John Ratcliffe said that Section 702 is “an indispensable national security tool” and noted that information gleaned from programs authorized by that law often comprises half of the president’s daily intelligence briefing. But Ratcliffe also acknowledged that Section 702 “can be abused and that we must do everything we can to make sure it has appropriate safeguards.” Ratcliffe told the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence that surveillance “can’t come at the expense of Americans’ civil liberties.”
 
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) said that Ratcliffe in a private conversation had observed that surveillance authorities are somewhat like steak knives in the kitchen, useful but dangerous in the wrong hands. The problem in the past, the senator from Texas said, was a “lack of trust in people who’ve had access to those tools.” That seemed to be a reference to the FBI, which in the past had used Section 702 powers to vacuum up the communications of more than 3.4 million Americans.
 
There were also some irritating moments for surveillance reformers in the hearing. Several senators alluded to all critics of Section 702 as wanting to repeal that authority and expose Americans to terrorists and spies. They did so without acknowledging that it is possible to criticize and reform that law without ending it.
 
Under questioning from Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), John Ratcliffe spoke of his unique experience as a former House Member who sat on the Judiciary Committee and later the House Intelligence Committee and then served in the executive branch as Director of National Intelligence (DNI).
 
Ratcliffe said that he was surprised that despite having served in the legislative branch on an oversight committee of the intelligence community “there was so much intelligence I learned for the first time as a DNI that I knew no Member of Congress was aware of. And I think that sort of speaks to my approach and understanding that I take seriously the obligation that I will have to keep this committee fully informed on intelligence issues.”
 
John Ratcliffe told the oversight committee point blank that there is much it does not know but should. Perhaps that admission will spur senators to dig deeper and conduct stronger supervision of the intelligence community.

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