The American Conservative can confirm that William Ruger, a longtime advocate of U.S. foreign policy restraint, has been appointed to a top intelligence role in the Trump administration.
Axios first reported Ruger’s appointment as deputy director of national intelligence for mission integration, calling the role “one of the most important jobs in the intelligence community.” Ruger will help prepare intelligence briefs for President Donald Trump, among other duties.
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Controversy erupted last month as Gabbard considered giving the same job to another restrainer, military expert Daniel Davis, with pro-Israel voices objecting to the move. Ruger’s appointment has stirred similar controversy behind the scenes, according to Axios.
One reason some figures in the foreign policy establishment may object to the appointment is that Ruger has criticized hawkish ideas. Last September, after Mark Dubowitz of The Foundation for Defense of Democracies promoted regime change in Iran, Ruger wrote on X, “These guys have learned nothing from [the] last 25 years.”
Ruger sits on the board of directors of The American Ideas Institute, which publishes TAC. Additionally, Ruger is a non-resident senior fellow at Defense Priorities, where this reporter is a contributing fellow.
