John Ratcliffe

John Ratcliffe
Official portrait, 2025
9th Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
Incumbent
Assumed office January 23, 2025
President	Donald Trump
Deputy	Michael Ellis
Preceded by	William J. Burns
6th Director of National Intelligence
In office May 26, 2020 – January 20, 2021
President	Donald Trump
Deputy	Neil Wiley
Preceded by	Dan Coats
Succeeded by	Avril Haines
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 4th district
In office January 3, 2015 – May 22, 2020
Preceded by	Ralph Hall
Succeeded by	Pat Fallon
Mayor of Heath
In office June 14, 2004 – May 14, 2012
Preceded by	Chris Cuny
Succeeded by	Lorne Liechty
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas
Acting May 21, 2007 – April 29, 2008
President	George W. Bush
Preceded by	Matthew D. Orwig
Succeeded by	Rebecca Gregory
Personal details
Born	John Lee Ratcliffe (1965-10-20) October 20, 1965 (age 59) Mount Prospect, Illinois, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Michele Addington
Children	2
Education	University of Notre Dame (BA) Southern Methodist University (JD)
Ratcliffe's voice Ratcliffe on election security at an FBI press conference Recorded October 20, 2020

John Lee Ratcliffe^[1] (born October 20, 1965) is an American politician and attorney who has served as the ninth director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) since 2025. He previously served as the sixth director of national intelligence from 2020 to 2021 and served in the United States House of Representatives from 2015 to 2020.

After graduating from law school, Ratcliffe worked as a lawyer in private practice until 2004. Ratcliffe served as mayor of Heath, Texas, from 2004 to 2012 and acting United States attorney for the Eastern District of Texas from May 2007 to April 2008. Ratcliffe was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2014, representing Texas's 4th district until 2020. During his time in Congress, Ratcliffe was regarded as one of the most conservative members. President Donald Trump announced on July 28, 2019, that he intended to nominate Ratcliffe to replace Dan Coats as director of national intelligence. Ratcliffe withdrew after Republican senators raised concerns about him, former intelligence officials said he might politicize intelligence, and media revealed Ratcliffe's embellishments regarding his prosecutorial experience in terrorism and immigration cases.

On February 28, 2020, Trump announced that he would again nominate Ratcliffe to be director of national intelligence, and after Senate approval, he resigned from the House, and was sworn in on May 26.

On November 12, 2024, president-elect Trump announced that he would nominate Ratcliffe to be the director of the Central Intelligence Agency. He was confirmed by the Senate on January 23, by a vote of 74–25, and assumed office later that day.