Speaker Johnson Appoints Top Trump China Hawk Cliff Sims to US-China Commission

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has appointed Cliff Sims, a top China hawk from former President Donald Trump’s administration, a Commissioner on the United States–China Economic and Security Review Commission.

The commission is tasked to “monitor, investigate, and submit to Congress an annual report on the national security implications of the bilateral trade and economic relationship between the United States and the People’s Republic of China, and to provide recommendations, where appropriate, to Congress for legislative and administrative action,” according to the commission itself.

This appointment is significant, as Sims comes directly from Trumpworld, having served as Trump’s Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Strategy and Communications. During that time, he worked with director of national intelligence John Ratcliffe, focusing on competition with China. He served as a key player, helping Ratcliffe author a “provocative letter to the House and Senate Intelligence Committees asserting that China sought to influence the outcome of the 2020 U.S. presidential election to prevent Trump’s reelection.” He worked on several other China-related issues as well, including pushing for the declassification of coronavirus origins intelligence.

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The native Alabaman is also the recipient of the Director’s Exceptional Achievement Award for “superior accomplishment and valuable service to the mission of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.”

Axios affirmed the widely held sentiments, remarking that “Sims is viewed as one of Trumpworld’s most vocal and aggressive China hawks — signaling the speaker plans to pursue a hawkish China policy.”

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Ratcliffe has praised Sims, stating that he “played an integral role in our efforts to shift the Intelligence Community’s focus toward an adversarial China.”

“I commend Speaker Johnson for this appointment and for sending a clear message that President Trump’s approach to confronting China is the surest way to secure America’s future security and prosperity,” he said.