By Stephen Dinan, Jeff Mordock and Mallory Wilson – The Washington Times – Tuesday, November 12, 2024
President-elect Donald Trump showed his intention to shake up the federal government Tuesday by naming former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe to lead the CIA, Elon Musk to head a new department to cut waste and regulations, and the unexpected choice of military reservist and Fox News figure Pete Hegseth to serve as Defense Secretary.
In another key post, Mr. Trump named South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to head the Department of Homeland Security.
Mr. Trump also tapped attorney William McGinley, a veteran of Republican Party election law, as his White House counsel. And he chose former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and businessman Steven Witkoff for prominent posts to advance his policies in the war-torn Middle East.
Mr. Ratcliffe, a former House lawmaker from Texas, is a Trump ally who faced criticism in Mr. Trump’s first term that did not have the necessary security background or experience for the DNI post, which coordinates all U.S. intelligence agencies. Mr. Trump initially withdrew Mr. Ratcliffe’s nomination, but the Senate eventually confirmed him in 2020.
“From exposing fake Russian collusion to be a Clinton campaign operation to catching the FBI’s abuse of Civil Liberties at the FISA Court, John Ratcliffe has always been a warrior for Truth and Honesty with the American Public,” Mr. Trump said.
The promotion makes Mr. Ratcliffe, a conservative Republican, the first person to serve as both CIA director and director of national intelligence.
Mr. Ratcliffe served as the director of national intelligence from 2020 to 2021. He stirred controversy by publicly releasing unverified information about Russia’s influence in the 2016 presidential election. Critics claimed at the time he was using the position to help Mr. Trump politically ahead of the 2020 election.
He was the rare intelligence official who pushed back on claims that Hunter Biden’s laptop was Russian disinformation. More than 51 intelligence officials condemned reporting on the laptop, which they dismissed as Russian propaganda to harm President Biden’s election efforts. The laptop was later verified by the Justice Department and several media outlets.
Mr. Ratcliffe stayed in the position through the transition from the first Trump administration to the Biden administration. He again drew headlines for going against Mr. Trump and his allies by saying there was no evidence of election fraud in the 2020 election.
The most surprising choice by Mr. Trump so far is Mr. Hegseth, an advocate on veterans’ issues who is mostly known for hosting shows on Fox, to lead the Pentagon.
“Pete has spent his entire life as a Warrior for the Troops, and for the Country. Pete is tough, smart and a true believer in America First,” Mr. Trump said in a statement Tuesday night. “With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice — Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down.”
Mr. Hegseth is the “Fox & Friends Weekend” co-host. He is an Army Reserve combat veteran who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. He unsuccessfully ran for the Minnesota Senate seat in 2012.
The choice may be the toughest Trump nomination pick to get confirmed by the Senate.
A Fox News spokesperson said of his nomination, “Pete Hegseth has been an exceptional host on FOX & Friends and FOX Nation and a best-selling author for FOX News Books for nearly a decade. His insights and analysis especially about the military resonated deeply with our viewers and made the program the major success that it is today. We are extremely proud of his work at FOX News Media and wish him the best of luck in Washington.”
The announcement of Mr. Musk to lead a government-wide effort to improve efficiency had been expected. Mr. Trump said the Tesla entrepreneur will team up with conservative businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, who ran for the GOP presidential nomination against Mr. Trump.
They will lead a new agency called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), with a mandate to conclude their work by July 4, 2026.
“This will send shockwaves through the system, and anyone involved in Government waste, which is a lot of people!” Mr. Musk said in a statement through the Trump campaign.
Mr. Trump said Mr. Musk and Mr. Ramaswamy “will pave the way for my administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies — essential to the ’Save America’ movement.”
The president-elect said he views the effort as “‘The Manhattan Project’ of our time.”
“Republican politicians have dreamed about the objectives of ‘DOGE’ for a very long time,” Mr. Trump said. “To drive this kind of drastic change, the Department of Government Efficiency will provide advice and guidance from outside of government, and will partner with the White House and Office of Management & Budget to drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to government never seen before.”
Mr. Trump’s nomination of Ms. Noem to lead the Department of Homeland Security also will place a loyal ally in a top position to carry out his border security and deportation plans.
Ms. Noem has taken a stern approach to immigration during her time in Congress and as governor, where she deployed troops from her state’s National Guard to assist Texas as it sought to fill gaps in enforcement during the Biden administration.
“Kristi has been very strong on border security,” Mr. Trump said. “She will work closely with ‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan to secure the border, and will guarantee that our American Homeland is secure from our adversaries.
Ms. Noem said she is “honored and humbled” by the selection.
“With Donald Trump, we will secure the border, and restore safety to American communities so that families will again have the opportunity to pursue The American Dream,” she said in a statement.
Last week she posted to social media praising Mr. Trump’s promises of mass deportations, although suggesting it will be done strategically.
“President Trump will deport the most dangerous illegal aliens first — the murderers, rapists, and other criminals that Harris and Biden let into the country. They do not belong here, and we will not let them back in,” she wrote on X.
Like Mr. Ratcliffe, she would need to be confirmed by the Senate to win the post.
Ms. Noem during her congressional career earned a lifetime C+ rating from NumbersUSA, which advocates for stricter immigration controls.
The group gave her high marks for her approach to border security and deporting unauthorized immigrants from the interior but middling scores for her votes on reducing guest workers and shrinking asylum claims. The low scores were largely due to her supporting large spending bills that didn’t defund Obama-era leniency toward unauthorized immigrants.
Immigration is expected to take up much of the next secretary’s time, since Homeland Security oversees the three major immigration agencies that handle the border, interior enforcement and legal immigration.
Jessica Vaughan, policy studies director at the Center for Immigration Studies, said picking Ms. Noem ensures that Mr. Trump keeps more direct control over immigration.
“It’s clear that the leadership on immigration is going to come from the White House, with Tom Homan and Stephen Miller. Noem is someone who can presumably manage the other moving parts,” she said.
Immigration was a key issue for Mr. Trump in the campaign and his promises to tackle the border mess that erupted during the early part of the Biden administration will demand quick attention.
The border numbers have improved in recent months, though overall illegal immigration remains higher than it was when Mr. Trump left office the first time.
The incoming president has promised to complete his border wall, to pressure Mexico to do more to stop migrants reaching the border and to launch a mass deportation.
In choosing Mr. McGinley as his top White House lawyer, Mr. Trump also has tapped a veteran of his first administration. Mr. McGinley served as his Cabinet secretary.
“Bill is a smart and tenacious lawyer who will help me advance our America First agenda while fighting for election integrity and against the weaponization of law enforcement,” Mr. Trump said in a statement.
Mr. Trump also said that Mr. McGinley “played a major role in our election victory” as outside counsel for election integrity for the Republican National Committee. He has also served as general counsel at the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
On Middle East policy, Mr. Trump has chosen Mr. Huckabee to serve as U.S. ambassador to Israel.
“Mike has been a great public servant, Governor, and Leader in Faith for many years,” Mr. Trump said in a statement. “He loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him. Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East!”
Mr. Huckabee was governor for more than 10 years and was a candidate for the Republican nomination for president in 2008 and again in 2016, ultimately losing to Mr. Trump.
He has not held a diplomatic post previously, or worked in the Trump administration. He has been a vocal supporter of Israel and has met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
And the president-elect tapped Mr. Witkoff to be special envoy to the Middle East. He is chairman and CEO of the Witkoff Group, a real estate investment and development firm, and golfs regularly with Mr. Trump.
“Steve is a highly respected leader in business and philanthropy, who has made every project and community he has been involved with stronger and more prosperous,” Mr. Trump said. “Steve will be an unrelenting voice for PEACE, and make us all proud.”
The post will put Mr. Witkoff in the middle of the long-running war between Israel and Hamas, as well as fighting with Iran and its proxies in Lebanon.
Mr. Trump announced over the weekend that Mr. Witkoff would also co-chair his inaugural committee with former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler.
The president-electe also confirmed that he is naming Rep. Mike Waltz, Florida Republican, to serve as his White House National Security Adviser.
Mr. Waltz has served in the House for at least four years and was the first Green Beret to be elected to the chamber. He served in the U.S. Army and National Guard for 27 years and is said to be a China hawk.
• Alex Swoyer contributed to this report.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
