Some White House officials were unaware of Retcliffe's visit to Russia — WSJ
CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s trip to Russia this week took place under conditions of extreme secrecy. According to The Wall Street Journal, even some high-ranking White House officials were not informed of the diplomatic mission in advance.
Sources who spoke to the publication on condition of anonymity said that President Donald Trump personally dispatched the head of the Central Intelligence Agency to Moscow and did not inform his trusted aides and military leaders, who would normally have been briefed on the trip, about the message Retcliffe was to convey to Kremlin officials.
Retcliffe’s secret trip, which involved flying to Moscow from Latvia on an unmarked C-17 military transport plane, forced European officials to scramble for information after news of the visit spread, some sources said.
After receiving the information, two European officials stated that the CIA director had once again emphasized to his Russian intelligence counterparts that the U.S. remains committed to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, under which an attack on one member is considered an attack on all.
Retcliffe’s visit took place against the backdrop of recent intelligence assessments indicating that Moscow may test NATO’s resolve over the next few years.
This was reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Between Kyiv, Tehran, and the Baltics: Why CIA Director John Ratcliffe Traveled to Moscow.
CIA Director Retcliffe met with Russian intelligence officials in Moscow — Channel NewsAsia.
