Show Notes
John Ratcliffe, former Director of National Intelligence and previously a Member of Congress, joins Liberty & Justice with Matt Whitaker. Director Ratcliffe and General Whitaker discuss reducing violent crime in he US, Russia and Ukraine war, lessons from Afghanistan and China’s long term plan for world-wide influence. It is a great discussion and worth your time. Watch every episode of Liberty & Justice at Whitaker.tv.
SAVE MISSOURI VALUES PAC is this week’s show sponsor.
On December 22, 2020, in recognition of his national security achievements as both Director of National Intelligence and previously as a Member of Congress, the President awarded Director Ratcliffe the National Security Medal, the nation’s highest honor for distinguished achievement in the field of intelligence and national security.
The Secretary of Defense also awarded Director Ratcliffe the Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal for “playing an integral role in multiple special operations successes and empowering the Secretary of Defense to make fully informed decisions to remove terrorists from the battlefield and keep United States forces and the American people safe.”
“I will deliver the unvarnished truth. What anyone wants the intelligence to reflect won’t impact the intelligence I deliver. Ever.” Director Ratcliffe during his Confirmation Hearing, May 5, 2020
Prior to his nomination and confirmation as DNI, John Ratcliffe served for over five years as the U.S. Representative for the 4th Congressional District of Texas. As a Congressman, Director Ratcliffe was a leading policy maker on national security issues as a member of the House Intelligence, Homeland Security and Judiciary committees.
Director Ratcliffe authored The United States-Israel Advanced Research Partnership Act, signed into law by President Obama on December 16, 2016, which allowed the U.S. and Israel to collaborate on research and development of cybersecurity technologies for national security purposes. The Strengthening State and Local Cyber Crime Fighting Act, authored by Director Ratcliffe and signed into law by President Trump on November 2, 2017, established the National Computer Forensics Institute as a national center for training law enforcement officials on the use of cyber technologies to investigate and secure digital evidence.
Prior to serving in Congress, Director Ratcliffe served in the George W. Bush administration from 2004 to 2008, initially appointed as Chief of Anti-Terrorism and National Security for the Eastern District of Texas before being named the U.S. Attorney from 2007 to 2008.
From 2008 until 2014, Director Ratcliffe was a founding partner with former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft of Ashcroft Sutton Ratcliffe LLP, a firm providing strategic legal advice on national and international security issues.
SAVE MISSOURI VALUES PAC is this week’s show sponsor.
Matthew G. Whitaker was acting Attorney General of the United States (2018-2019). Prior to becoming acting Attorney General, Mr. Whitaker served as Chief of Staff to the Attorney General. He was appointed as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa by President George W. Bush, serving from 2004-2009. Whitaker was the managing partner of Des Moines based law firm, Whitaker Hagenow & Gustoff LLP from 2009 until rejoining DOJ in 2017. He was also the Executive Director for FACT, The Foundation for Accountability & Civic Trust, an ethics and accountability watchdog, between 2014 and 2017. Mr. Whitaker is Author of the book--Above the Law, The Inside Story of How the Justice Department Tried to Subvert President Trump.
Mr. Whitaker graduated with a Master of Business Administration, Juris Doctor, and Bachelor of Arts from the University of Iowa. While at Iowa, Mr. Whitaker was a three-year letterman on the football team where he received the prestigious Big Ten Medal of Honor.
Mr. Whitaker is now a Co-Chair of the Center for Law and Justice at America First Policy Institute and a Senior Fellow at the American Conservative Union Foundation. Matt is on the Board of Directors for America First Legal Foundation and is a Senior Advisor to IronGate Capital Advisors. He is also Of Counsel with the Graves Garrett law firm. Whitaker appears regularly to discuss legal and political issues on Fox News, Newsmax and other news outlets. He splits his time between Iowa, Florida and Washington, D.C.
