President-elect Donald Trump nominated his former Director of National Intelligence, John Ratcliffe, to become the next director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Before this role, Ratcliffe was a Republican House member from Texas, where he served on the Judiciary and Intelligence Committees, often staunchly supporting Trump.
Trump praised Ratcliffe in a statement, calling him the first person to hold both of the nation’s top intelligence positions.
The announcement came as Trump worked to finalize his Cabinet and key positions for his second term, beginning on January 20.
Democrats criticized Ratcliffe for politicizing intelligence, particularly regarding Russian interference in the 2016 election. However, Ratcliffe assured senators during his confirmation hearing in 2020 that he would not alter intelligence reports to align with the president’s views.
Ratcliffe has held previous roles as U.S. attorney for eastern Texas and served five years in the House of Representatives.
In addition to his government service, he co-chaired the Center for American Security, a think tank aligned with Trump’s policies. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Notre Dame and a law degree from Southern Methodist University.
