Oct 2, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Cliff Sims returns to the Trump administration

Cliff Sims, a former Trump aide who wrote a bestselling memoir of his time in the White House which resulted in a legal dispute with the president, has returned to the Trump administration in a senior role.

Driving the news: Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe has brought Sims in to serve as his senior adviser, per two sources with direct knowledge of the decision.

  • Sims' portfolio at ODNI is expected to include Intelligence Community communications matters and interfacing with the White House, one of these sources said.

Behind the scenes: Over the past year Sims has not only made peace with Trump but been brought back into the fold as an outside adviser on various initiatives.

  • Sims helped Ratcliffe with communications during his Senate confirmation battle. Most recently he played a leading role in messaging and speechwriting for the Republican National Convention.
  • Sims is a close ally of the president's eldest son Donald Trump Jr., the president's daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Trump's close aide Hope Hicks.
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