Rise to Success: Career Highlights of John Ratcliffe

Discover the career path of John Ratcliffe, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.

John Ratcliffe is an American politician and attorney. He served as the Director of National Intelligence from 2020 to 2021. Currently, since 2025, he is the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Ratcliffe also served as a U.S. Representative for Texas from 2015 to 2020.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Controversies & Scandals

June 2004: Mayor of Heath, Texas

In June 2004, John Ratcliffe began his service as mayor of Heath, Texas, a city located east of Dallas, serving until May 2012.

2004: Mayor of Heath, Texas

In 2004, John Ratcliffe served as mayor of Heath, Texas until 2012.

2004: Appointed Chief of Anti-Terrorism and National Security

In 2004, John Ratcliffe was appointed by President George W. Bush to be the chief of anti-terrorism and national security for the Eastern District of Texas, within the U.S. Department of Justice.

May 2007: Appointed Acting United States Attorney

In May 2007, John Ratcliffe was appointed as the acting United States attorney for the Eastern District of Texas.

May 2007: Named Interim U.S. Attorney

In May 2007, John Ratcliffe was named the interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Texas.

April 2008: Returned to Private Law Practice

In April 2008, John Ratcliffe returned to private law practice after Rebecca Gregory was confirmed as the permanent U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Texas.

April 2008: End of term as Acting United States Attorney

In April 2008, John Ratcliffe's tenure as the acting United States attorney for the Eastern District of Texas concluded.

2009: Partner at Ashcroft, Sutton, Ratcliffe

In 2009, John Ratcliffe became a partner with former attorney general John Ashcroft in the law firm Ashcroft, Sutton, Ratcliffe.

May 2012: End of term as Mayor of Heath, Texas

In May 2012, John Ratcliffe's tenure as the mayor of Heath, Texas concluded.

2012: Member of Mitt Romney's Transition Team

In 2012, John Ratcliffe was part of a transition team established by Republican candidate Mitt Romney to vet potential Presidential appointees.

2012: End of term as Mayor of Heath, Texas

In 2012, John Ratcliffe's tenure as the mayor of Heath, Texas concluded.

2013: Announced Run Against Ralph Hall

In late 2013, John Ratcliffe announced that he would run in the Republican primary against 17-term incumbent congressman Ralph Hall of the 4th district.

March 2014: Ratcliffe Oversaw Cybersecurity Hearing

In March 2014, Ratcliffe oversaw a congressional hearing focused on improving cooperation between the private sector and the Department of Homeland Security on cybersecurity to prevent terrorist activity, with testimony from the Hitrust Alliance, Intel Security Group, Symantec, Palo Alto Networks, and New America's Open Technology Institute.

November 2014: Elected to the US House of Representatives

In November 2014, John Ratcliffe ran unopposed and was elected to the United States House of Representatives.

2014: Defeated Ralph Hall in Primary Runoff

In 2014, John Ratcliffe defeated Ralph Hall in the primary runoff election with 53 percent of the vote, marking the first time in twenty years that a sitting Republican congressman in Texas had been ousted in a primary.

2014: Elected to the United States House of Representatives

In 2014, John Ratcliffe was elected to the United States House of Representatives, representing Texas's 4th congressional district.

January 3, 2015: Took Office in Congress

On January 3, 2015, John Ratcliffe took office as a member of the US House of Representatives, representing the 4th District of Texas.

2015: Committee Assignments in 114th Congress

During the 114th Congress (2015–2017), John Ratcliffe sat on the Judiciary and Homeland Security committees, where he was a subcommittee chair on the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies.

2015: Elected to the House of Representatives

In 2015, John Ratcliffe was elected to the United States House of Representatives, representing Texas's 4th district. He served until 2020.

March 1, 2016: Won Republican Primary

On March 1, 2016, John Ratcliffe won the Republican primary, receiving 68 percent of the vote, and then defeated a third-party candidate in the general election with 88% of the vote.

September 2016: Questioned James Comey

In September 2016, during a House Judiciary Committee hearing, John Ratcliffe questioned then-FBI director James Comey about the FBI's decision not to recommend criminal charges against Hillary Clinton regarding her email controversy.

December 16, 2016: Obama Signed Ratcliffe's Bill into Law

On December 16, 2016, Barack Obama signed Ratcliffe's H.R. 5877 "United States-Israel Advanced Research Partnership Act of 2016" into public law.

2016: Ratcliffe Questioned Mueller's Report

Days before being announced as Trump's choice for Director of National Intelligence, Ratcliffe questioned Robert Mueller during his congressional testimony, criticizing Mueller's description of obstruction of justice instances in his report on Russian interference in the 2016 election, claiming Mueller exceeded his authority.

November 2, 2017: Trump Signed Ratcliffe's Bill into Law

On November 2, 2017, Donald Trump signed Ratcliffe's H.R. 1616 "Strengthening State and Local Cyber Crime Fighting Act of 2017" into public law.

2017: Committee Assignments in 115th Congress

During the 115th Congress (2017–19), John Ratcliffe was a member of the Ethics, Judiciary, and Homeland Security committees.

2017: Ratcliffe Chaired House Subcommittee

In 2017, Ratcliffe was chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection during the 115th Congress when Republicans controlled the House.

November 6, 2018: Re-elected to Third Term

On November 6, 2018, John Ratcliffe won re-election to a third term in the House of Representatives with nearly 76 percent of the vote, defeating Democratic challenger Catherine Krantz and Libertarian challenger Ken Ashby.

2018: Considered for Attorney General Role

In 2018, John Ratcliffe was reportedly considered for the role of attorney general by the Trump Administration.

July 28, 2019: Nomination for Director of National Intelligence

On July 28, 2019, President Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate John Ratcliffe to replace Dan Coats as director of national intelligence. However, Ratcliffe later withdrew his name from consideration.

August 2, 2019: Withdrawal of Nomination

On August 2, 2019, President Trump withdrew John Ratcliffe's name from nomination for Director of National Intelligence, citing unfair media scrutiny and concerns from Republican senators.

2019: Committee Assignments in 116th Congress

In 2019, during the 116th Congress, John Ratcliffe served on the Ethics, Judiciary, and Intelligence Committees. He was the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security and a member of the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet within the Judiciary Committee.

January 20, 2020: Named to Trump Impeachment Team

On January 20, 2020, John Ratcliffe was named by the Trump administration as one of the congressional members of the impeachment team, before the Senate impeachment trial.

February 28, 2020: Nomination for Director of National Intelligence

On February 28, 2020, Donald Trump announced that he would again nominate John Ratcliffe to be Director of National Intelligence.

March 3, 2020: Nomination Came to Senate

On March 3, 2020, John Ratcliffe's nomination for Director of National Intelligence was formally submitted to the U.S. Senate.

May 5, 2020: Senate Intelligence Committee Held Hearings

On May 5, 2020, the U.S. Select Senate Committee on Intelligence held hearings on John Ratcliffe's nomination for Director of National Intelligence. Former U.S. attorney general John Ashcroft submitted a letter in favor of the nomination, and U.S. senator John Cornyn introduced Ratcliffe and supported his nomination.

May 19, 2020: Committee Voted in Favor

On May 19, 2020, the Senate Intelligence Committee voted in favor of John Ratcliffe's nomination for Director of National Intelligence.

May 21, 2020: Confirmed by the Senate

On May 21, 2020, John Ratcliffe was confirmed by the Senate as Director of National Intelligence by a vote of 49 to 44.

November 2020: Trump Offered Ratcliffe Attorney General Position

In November 2020, Donald Trump offered Ratcliffe the job of U.S. Attorney General, but Ratcliffe declined.

December 2020: Ratcliffe Warned of China's Threat

In December 2020, Ratcliffe stated that China "intends to dominate the US and the rest of the planet economically, militarily and technologically" and called the country "the greatest threat to America today, and the greatest threat to democracy and freedom worldwide since World War Two".

2020: Served as Director of National Intelligence and Resigned from House of Representatives

In 2020, John Ratcliffe served as the sixth director of national intelligence. He also resigned from the United States House of Representatives.

2020: End of term in the United States House of Representatives

In 2020, John Ratcliffe's tenure in the United States House of Representatives concluded.

April 2021: Ratcliffe became a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation

In April 2021, after leaving the Trump administration, Ratcliffe became a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation, tasked with holding China accountable for COVID-19 and helping Project 2025 with intelligence reform policy recommendations.