Well, good afternoon, everybody. It’s great to have you here. I’m thrilled to be joined, of course, by our incoming Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, John Ratcliffe, as well as his lovely wife, Michelle. And I will say that John is a great patriot, a guy that has the trust of the President, and I think really believes deeply in the mission, first of all, of keeping Americans safe, but also doing it in a way that ensures that the American people have confidence in our national intelligence services. And both of those things really matter.

We’re not going to have much safety, and we’re going to have great intelligence services unless the American people actually trust that those intelligence services are doing their job. And I have every confidence that John Ratcliffe is going to do that. That’s why the President nominated him, and that’s why the Senate confirmed him with big margins. Now, normally, after I administer the oath, I would actually invite the new guy to say a few words, but given that he’s the leader of the CIA, anything that he told you he would have to, well, you know how that goes.

So, John Ratcliffe is not going to give any remarks because every piece of knowledge in his brain is actually classified, so he’s going to head straight to Langley and do his job that the American people need him to do. So, John, are you ready? Okay, please place your hand on the Bible, raise your right hand. I, John Ratcliffe, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, that I take this obligation freely, that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge, and that I will well and faithfully discharge, the duties of the office on which I am about to enter, the duties of the office on which I am about to enter.

So help you God, so help me God. Congratulations. Thank you. Thank you. See you guys. Take care. [tr:trw].

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