President-elect Donald Trump announced a flurry of appointments Tuesday for key posts in his administration, including former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe to lead the CIA and the expected nomination of South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to head the Department of Homeland Security.
Mr. Trump tapped William McGinley, a veteran of Republican Party election law, as White House counsel. 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, had critics in Mr. Trump’s first term who said he lacked 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.
In his announcement Tuesday, Mr. Trump said Mr. Ratcliffe “will be a fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans, while ensuring the Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.”
“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 was 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 he used the position to help Mr. Trump politically before the 2020 election.
He was the rare intelligence official who disputed 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 Justice Department and several media outlets later verified the laptop.
Mr. Ratcliffe stayed in the position through the transition from the first Trump administration to the Biden administration. He again drew headlines for denying any evidence of election fraud in the 2020 election, going against Mr. Trump and his allies.
Mr. Trump’s expected nomination of Ms. Noem to lead the Department of Homeland Security 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 in Congress and as governor. During the Biden administration, she deployed troops from the South Dakota National Guard to help Texas fill gaps in enforcement.
She praised Mr. Trump’s promises of mass deportations on social media last week and suggested it would 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 must be confirmed by the Senate.
During her congressional career, Ms. Noem 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 primarily from her support for 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 because Homeland Security oversees the three major immigration agencies that handle the border, interior enforcement and legal immigration.
The department also includes the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Federal Protective Service, which guards federal property. It also oversees the Secret Service, which has been under fire after two failed assassination attempts against Mr. Trump.
The incoming president has been quickly filling out his immigration team. Earlier this week, he named Tom Homan, a former chief of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as border czar, coordinating immigration policy from the White House.
He tapped Stephen Miller, chief architect of immigration policy in the first Trump administration, as deputy chief of staff for policy.
Jessica Vaughan, policy studies director at the Center for Immigration Studies, said Ms. Noem’s nomination ensures that Mr. Trump will keep 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.
Online, even some committed Trump enthusiasts doubted Ms. Noem’s ability to frighten U.S. adversaries in the smuggling cartels or terrorist communities.
Trump critics, meanwhile, mocked Ms. Noem’s admission in her recent memoir that she killed a 14-month-old hunting dog that she said was unruly and “untrainable.”
Immigration was a vital issue for Mr. Trump’s 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 prevent migrants from reaching the border and to launch a mass deportation.
In choosing Mr. McGinley as his top White House attorney, Mr. Trump 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 said 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 chose Mr. Huckabee 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.
Although he has not held a diplomatic post or worked in the Trump administration, he has been a vocal supporter of Israel and has met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The president-elect tapped Mr. Witkoff to be a 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 Sen. Kelly Loeffler of Georgia.
The president-elect confirmed that he was naming Rep. Mike Waltz, Florida Republican, as 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 Army and National Guard for 27 years and is said to be a China hawk.
• Mallory Wilson and Alex Swoyer contributed to this report.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.