IC Oversight & Authorities — 2026-05-14

Vance Taps Former ODNI Official Cliff Sims as National Security Adviser

Vice President Vance named Cliff Sims his principal national security and foreign policy adviser, Politico reported May 13, with Vance telling the outlet Sims "has been a good friend and advisor on the outside." Sims, who served as a Deputy Director of National Intelligence under Ratcliffe during Trump's first term and chaired the CIA's external advisory board in the second, will join existing adviser Andy Baker in an expanded VP foreign policy operation. CIA Director Ratcliffe endorsed the selection, telling Politico he had observed Sims' "exceptional judgment and command of the most sensitive national security matters" firsthand.

Analysis
Sims' trajectory from DDNI under Ratcliffe to CIA external advisory board chair marks him as a cross-institutional operator, not a conventional political aide. The expansion to a two-adviser structure, per reporting corroborated across Politico and Yellowhammer News, likely reflects Vance building independent capacity for principal-level national security engagement as Ukraine and Iran demand sustained VP-level attention. Ratcliffe's endorsement signals deliberate coordination between CIA leadership and the VP's office, giving Vance access to the CIA director's trust network outside formal NSC channels, though the hire may serve Trumpworld loyalty signaling as much as substantive capacity.
4 sources
  1. Alabama Cliff Sims tapped by VP Vance for White House return as his national security advisor - Yellowhammer News
  2. JD Vance tapping another national security adviser - Politico
  3. NEW: JD Vance has tapped Cliff Sims as a national security advisor - X / Sophia Cai (Politico)
  4. JD Vance tapping Cliff Sims as another national security adviser - MarketScreener (Politico)

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