Trump's CIA director details strategy using Mandarin videos to tap Chinese dissent for intelligence gains

CIA Director John Ratcliffe detailed the reasoning behind the agency's strategy of releasing two Mandarin-language videos aimed at encouraging Chinese nationals to reach out through the dark web, part of a broader effort to gather intelligence from inside America's top adversary. 

In an interview on "My View with Lara Trump," Ratcliffe said the initiative was designed to tap into dissatisfaction among Chinese citizens and collect key information on the Chinese Communist Party [CCP] and its operations.

"We released two Mandarin-speaking videos to the Chinese people, inviting them to contact us through the dark web because a lot of the people in China are not happy with what's happening," he shared on Saturday.  

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"They can be great sources of intelligence for us."

The campaign was part of a larger strategy to counter threats from foreign and domestic adversaries and bolster U.S. leverage in high-stakes negotiations, including President Donald Trump's efforts to secure deals with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

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Ratcliffe also emphasized his commitment to depoliticizing the CIA and returning the agency to its core mission of intelligence-gathering – not political interference.

He cited the use of the Steele dossier and attitudes that dismissed the Hunter Biden laptop as "Russian disinformation" as evidence. 

"Those were the types of politicization that really tarnish what the intelligence community is supposed to do," he said.

"We're supposed to be apolitical, and that's what President Trump wants me to be. We're going to be better. We're gonna get back to what made the CIA great."