U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has selected John Ratcliffe as the next director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Reuters reported Tuesday.
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Former Director of National Intelligence
Ratcliffe had served as representative of the 4th Congressional District of Texas during the 114th, 115th and 116th Congress. In 2020, he resigned to serve as director of national intelligence, a position he would hold until 2021, when Trump’s first term ended.
Ratcliffe’s nomination by Trump in 2020 for DNI was his second. Trump had sought to appoint him to the position in 2019 but members of Congress expressed concern regarding his relative inexperience. At the time, Ratcliffe was the House Intelligence Committee’s most junior member and had only served on the panel for six months.
Recent Professional Roles
More recently, Ratcliffe served as co-chair of the think tank Center for American Security. He also offered Trump advice regarding national security policy during his recent presidential campaign.
Regarding the nomination, the president-elect said in a statement, “I look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation’s highest Intelligence positions. He will be a fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans, while ensuring the Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.”