Cliff Sims, former deputy director of national intelligence under former President Donald Trump, recently expressed his opinions on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) offices within the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the intelligence community. In an interview on Truth Voices Saturday, Sims suggested that these DEI offices should be “abolished” due to what he perceives as the politicization of the intelligence community.
Sims recalled his surprise upon entering the CIA headquarters and encountering DEI and transgender-positive posters on the walls. He described feeling shocked by the level of politicization within the intelligence community and expressed concern about the pressure to adhere to DEI mandates, including using people’s pronouns. He also mentioned an internal opinion piece in an intelligence community journal where an intelligence officer claimed that being a cross-dresser helped him perform better as an intelligence analyst.
Furthermore, Sims highlighted how the Biden administration’s national intelligence strategy emphasizes diversity, equity, and inclusion benchmarks. He cited instances in the same internal intelligence community journal where caution was advised in using certain words to avoid offending specific groups, such as the Chinese Communist Party or Muslim individuals.
In response to these issues, Sims proposed abolishing DEI offices within the intelligence community if Trump were to return to office. He suggested reallocating the resources used for DEI initiatives towards enhancing national security capabilities against threats like China. Additionally, he advocated for protecting officers’ religious beliefs, defending their First Amendment rights, and diversifying talent recruitment efforts by targeting students from state schools and historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) instead of solely focusing on Ivy League institutions.
Sims raised concerns about elite institutions serving as “woke indoctrination factories” and argued that prioritizing ideological conformity over critical thinking could hinder the development of a diverse workforce in the intelligence community. He stressed the importance of attracting a broader range of talented individuals to ensure the community’s effectiveness in addressing evolving security challenges.
