Ratcliffe went to Moscow and met directly with Russian intelligence officials, including Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, the SVR.
Source: Lev Parnas, Substack
News of Ratcliffe’s trip to Russia, which the administration did not officially acknowledge until this morning, had sparked rampant speculation in Washington and Europe because it marked the first such known trip to the Russian capital by a CIA director under President Donald Trump. In late 2021, then-President Joe Biden’s spy chief, Bill Burns, warned Russian President Vladimir Putin against invading Ukraine. Russian forces stormed across the border three months later.
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/26/cia-russia-nato-moscow-ratcliffe-01051848
Ratcliffe has also been a vocal supporter of Israel. His legacy includes strengthening the U.S.-Israel partnership in cyber defense through the passage of the United States-Israel Advanced Research Partnership Act in 2016. Ratcliffe criticized the Biden administration for allegedly diverting U.S. intelligence resources from groups like Hamas. He has condemned the framing of Israel’s actions in Gaza by Vice President Kamala Harris, labeling it a “false narrative.” On Iran, Ratcliffe has praised Israeli military strikes on Iranian targets, seeing them as a vital component of the “Trump doctrine” of maximum pressure. He has suggested that the U.S. should support such actions, reaffirming his strong stance on countering Iran’s regional influence and bolstering U.S.-Israel security cooperation.
On November 13, 2024, President Trump nominated Ratcliffe as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). On January 23, 2025, Ratcliffe, has been confirmed by the Senate as the new CIA director, becoming the second member of Trump’s cabinet to be approved.
https://jewishvirtuallibrary.org/john-ratcliffe
Russia and US elections;
A bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report confirmed that the Russian government aimed to help Donald Trump defeat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 U.S. elections through hacking, disinformation, and social media campaigns. The Special Counsel investigation led by Robert Mueller documented numerous contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian entities but found insufficient evidence to establish a conspiracy.
And Lev Parnas, Substack, 28th August, 2026 comment:
Right now, the Justice Department is conducting an explosive investigation through the Southern District of Florida involving the origins and handling of the intelligence assessment surrounding Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Former CIA Director John Brennan has received a grand-jury subpoena.
Former intelligence and law-enforcement officials have been pulled into the investigation.
Investigators have sought information surrounding the preparation of the January 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment that concluded Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election.
Donald Trump has spent nearly a decade calling the Russia investigation a hoax.
Kash Patel built much of his political identity around attacking that investigation.
And now?
Trump’s Justice Department is investigating the investigators.
Trump’s CIA director is meeting Russian intelligence officials in Moscow.
Trump’s FBI director is preparing to meet with the FSB.
All at the same time.
That’s a timeline.
borderslynn 