Trump Reportedly Concealed CIA Chief’s Russia Mission From Senior White House Officials

Nathan Howard/Pool Photo via AP

President Donald Trump reportedly concealed CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s mission to Russia from some senior White House officials, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

According to the paper, even officials who would ordinarily have been briefed on such a trip were not told in advance. Ratcliffe traveled from Latvia, at the president’s direct request, aboard an unmarked U.S. C-17 military cargo plane, with news of the unusual visit prompting confusion from European officials.

The trip came into public view Tuesday, when the arrival of a U.S. military transport plane in Moscow sparked speculation over who was aboard. CBS News later identified Ratcliffe as having been on the aircraft.

The Journal reported Wednesday that Ratcliffe’s primary purpose was to warn Russian officials against attacking a NATO member. The warning followed U.S. intelligence assessments that Russian President Vladimir Putin could attempt a limited incursion into an allied country within the next several years.

During the trip, Ratcliffe also reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to NATO’s Article 5, under which an attack against one member is considered an attack against all, according to the Journal. He additionally pushed Moscow to revive negotiations with Ukraine aimed at ending Russia’s invasion and pressed Russian officials to sever economic and security ties with Iran.

Trump, who has made ending the war in Ukraine a focus of his second term, has previously turned to special envoy Steve Witkoff, son-in-law Jared Kushner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and former Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg for diplomatic efforts involving Moscow and Kyiv.

Asked Thursday about the prospect of Putin moving against a NATO ally, Trump dismissed the concern, telling reporters that the Russian leader “won’t attack NATO territory.”

And Trump characterized the mission as “semi-routine” during an interview with conservative radio personality Glenn Beck, statements the White House pointed to when asked by the Journal for comment. The CIA, meanwhile, chose to stay quiet when asked for a statement.

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