Cliff Sims, Trumpworld China hawk, named to U.S.-China commission
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Cliff Sims with then-President Trump. Photo: Shealah Craighead/The White House
Cliff Sims, a Trump administration alumnus, was appointed Monday by House Speaker Mike Johnson as a commissioner on the United States–China Economic and Security Review Commission.
- The commission investigates national security implications of trade and economic ties between the U.S. and China.
Why it matters: Sims is viewed as one of Trumpworld's most vocal and aggressive China hawks — signaling the speaker plans to pursue a hawkish China policy, a top official told Axios.
- Sims, a proud native of Alabama, was former President Trump's deputy director of national intelligence for strategy and communications.
A second commissioner was also named by the speaker: Leland Miller is CEO of China Beige Book, a data analytics and economic forecasting firm.
- "A noted authority on China's economy and financial system, he is a frequent [media] commentator," Miller's bio says. "He is an elected member of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, an elected life member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a board member of the Global Interdependence Center, and a non-resident Senior Fellow at the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security at the Atlantic Council."
Context: Sims was a key player in multiple China-related efforts when he was with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. He was a close adviser to Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, who pushed the intelligence community toward a more hawkish lens on China.
- That included working closely with Ratcliffe on a provocative letter to the House and Senate Intelligence committees, asserting that China sought to influence the 2020 presidential election to defeat Trump.
- Sims advocated for declassification of intelligence on COVID-19 origins — ultimately released through the State Department — that bolstered the case for the virus having originated in the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
- Sims helped Ratcliffe write, and promote globally, a Wall Street Journal op-ed headlined: "China Is National Security Threat No. 1."
What they're saying: Ratcliffe said in a statement to Axios that Sims "played an integral role in our efforts to shift the Intelligence Community's focus toward an adversarial China."
- Sims, a University of Alabama graduate, has founded multiple companies, serving as CEO and achieving successful exits.
