History of John Ratcliffe in Timeline

John Ratcliffe is an American politician and attorney. He served as the Director of National Intelligence from 2020 to 2021 and represented Texas's 4th congressional district in the House of Representatives from 2015 to 2020. Since 2025, he is the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Controversies & Scandals

October 20, 1965: John Ratcliffe Born

On October 20, 1965, John Lee Ratcliffe was born. He is an American politician and attorney.

Others born on this day/year

1987: Graduated from University of Notre Dame

In 1987, Ratcliffe graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Arts in government and international studies.

1989: Graduated from Southern Methodist University School of Law

In 1989, Ratcliffe graduated from the Southern Methodist University School of Law (now Dedman School of Law) with a Juris Doctor.

1999: Katyal Writes Special Counsel Regulations

In 1999, Neal Katyal, who wrote the special counsel regulations, said that Ratcliffe was "dead wrong" regarding special prosecutors.

June 2004: Mayor of Heath, Texas

In June 2004, Ratcliffe began serving as mayor of Heath, Texas.

2004: Appointed Chief of Anti-Terrorism

In 2004, President George W. Bush appointed Ratcliffe to be the chief of anti-terrorism and national security for the Eastern District of Texas.

2004: Became Mayor of Heath, Texas

In 2004, Ratcliffe served as mayor of Heath, Texas, starting in 2004.

May 2007: Named Interim U.S. Attorney

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

April 2008: Returned to Private Law Practice

In April 2008, Ratcliffe returned to private law practice when Rebecca Gregory was confirmed as the permanent U.S. attorney.

2009: Became Partner at Ashcroft, Sutton, Ratcliffe

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

May 2012: End of Term as Mayor

In May 2012, Ratcliffe's term as mayor of Heath, Texas, concluded.

2012: Part of Romney's Transition Team

In 2012, Ratcliffe was part of a transition team, established before that year's general election by Republican candidate Mitt Romney, to vet potential Presidential appointees.

2013: Announced run against Ralph Hall

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

March 2014: Ratcliffe Oversees Cybersecurity Hearing

In March 2014, Ratcliffe oversaw a congressional hearing, "The Current State of DHS Private Sector Engagement for Cybersecurity", that studied ways to get the private sector and the Department of Homeland Security to better cooperate to prevent terrorist activity.

November 2014: Ran Unopposed in General Election

In November 2014, Ratcliffe ran unopposed in the general election for Texas's 4th congressional district.

2014: Defeated Ralph Hall in Primary

In 2014, Ratcliffe defeated Ralph Hall in a runoff election with 53 percent of the vote, becoming the first sitting Republican congressman in Texas to be ousted in a primary in twenty years.

2014: Elected to U.S. House of Representatives

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

January 3, 2015: Took Office in the House of Representatives

On January 3, 2015, Ratcliffe took office as the U.S. Representative for the 4th District of Texas.

2015: Served on Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees

In 2015, Ratcliffe served on the Judiciary and Homeland Security committees, chairing a subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies.

March 1, 2016: Won Republican Primary

On March 1, 2016, Ratcliffe won the Republican primary with 68% of the vote.

April 2016: Praised for Impact as Freshman Lawmaker

In April 2016, The Dallas Morning News commented that Ratcliffe's first term in Washington proved that freshman lawmakers can have significant influence.

July 2016: FBI Starts Investigation into Russian Interference

In July 2016, The House Republican intelligence committee's own memo about the Russia probe had said that it was information about George Papadopoulos that set off an investigation by the FBI.

September 2016: Questioned James Comey in House Judiciary Committee Hearing

In September 2016, during a House Judiciary Committee hearing, Ratcliffe questioned FBI director James Comey about the timing of the FBI's decision regarding charges against Hillary Clinton in the email controversy.

December 16, 2016: Obama Signs 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 Questions Mueller's Congressional Testimony

Days before he was announced as Trump's choice to be Director of National Intelligence, Ratcliffe drew headlines for his questioning of Robert Mueller during Mueller's congressional testimony regarding the 2016 election. Ratcliffe criticized Mueller for including instances of potential obstruction in his report when no crimes were charged.

2016: Ratcliffe Commented on Russian Interference

In 2016, Ratcliffe alleged that Russian interference may have helped Trump's rival candidate Hillary Clinton more than Trump, conflicting with intelligence agencies.

2016: Ratcliffe Criticizes Investigations into Russian Interference

In 2016, Ratcliffe staunchly supported Trump's criticism of the investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. Ratcliffe has stated that he has "seen no evidence" that Russian interference in the 2016 election helped get Trump elected.

2016: Ratcliffe Ranked as Most Conservative Texas Legislator

In 2016, The Heritage Foundation ranked Ratcliffe as the most conservative Texas legislator in Congress and second-most conservative legislator in the country.

2016: Ratcliffe Asserts Obama Administration Leaked Flynn-Kislyak Transcripts

Shortly before Trump announced he would be nominated as DNI, Ratcliffe asserted the Obama administration had committed a felony by leaking classified transcripts of 2016 phone calls between Michael Flynn and Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak to The Washington Post.

2016: Ratcliffe Declassifies 2016 Russian Disinformation

Thirty-five days before the November 2020 election, Ratcliffe declassified 2016 Russian disinformation that asserted Hillary Clinton had personally approved a scheme to associate Trump with Vladimir Putin. The Republican-controlled Senate Intelligence Committee had previously rejected the allegation as baseless.

November 2, 2017: Trump Signs 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.

December 2017: Ratcliffe Supports Repeal of Net Neutrality

In December 2017, Ratcliffe signed a letter from Congress, along with 106 other members of Congress, to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai, supporting Pai's plan to repeal net neutrality.

2017: Continued Service on Committees

In 2017, Ratcliffe continued to serve on the Ethics, Judiciary, and Homeland Security committees, chairing the subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection within the Homeland Security Committee.

2017: Ratcliffe Chairs House Subcommittee on Cybersecurity

In 2017, Ratcliffe served as chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection.

2017: Ratcliffe Supports Trump's Immigration Order

In 2017, Ratcliffe supported president Donald Trump's executive order to prohibit immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries, stating, "I applaud president Trump's actions to ramp up the vetting of refugees attempting to enter our country."

June 2018: DOJ Inspector General Report Released

In June 2018, the DOJ inspector general report stated the FBI evidence for gross negligence charges against Hillary Clinton was lacking.

November 6, 2018: Re-elected to Third Term

On November 6, 2018, Ratcliffe won re-election to a third term with nearly 76 percent of the vote, defeating Democratic and Libertarian challengers.

2018: Considered for Attorney General Role

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

March 2019: Ratcliffe Tweeted about Lisa Page Testimony

In March 2019, Ratcliffe tweeted that Lisa Page confirmed that the Obama Justice Department ordered the FBI not to consider gross negligence charges against Hillary Clinton, but the DOJ report contradicted this claim.

August 2, 2019: Trump Withdrew Ratcliffe's Nomination

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

2019: Served on Ethics, Judiciary and Intelligence Committees

In 2019, Ratcliffe sat on the Ethics, Judiciary and Intelligence Committees. Within the Judiciary Committee, Ratcliffe was the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security.

January 20, 2020: Named to Trump's Impeachment Team

On January 20, 2020, Ratcliffe was named as one of the congressional members of President Trump's impeachment team.

February 29, 2020: Sen. Mark Warner warned against re-nominating Ratcliffe

On February 29, 2020, Sen. Mark Warner, vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee warned Trump against re-nominating Ratcliffe as the director of national intelligence.

March 3, 2020: Ratcliffe Nomination Came to the U.S. Senate

On March 3, 2020, Ratcliffe's nomination came to the U.S. Senate.

May 5, 2020: Senate Committee Held Hearings

On May 5, 2020, the U.S. Select Senate Committee on Intelligence held hearings on Ratcliffe's nomination, starting with a letter from former U.S. attorney general John Ashcroft in favor of the nomination.

May 2020: Ratcliffe Declassifies Flynn-Kislyak Transcripts

Three days after becoming DNI in May 2020, Ratcliffe declassified and released the full transcripts of 2016 phone calls between Michael Flynn and Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

May 19, 2020: Committee Voted in Favor of the Nomination

On May 19, 2020, The U.S. Senate Committee on Intelligence voted in favor of the nomination.

May 21, 2020: Confirmed by the Senate

On May 21, 2020, Ratcliffe was confirmed by the Senate by a vote of 49 to 44.

November 2020: Trump Offers Ratcliffe Attorney General Position

In November 2020, Trump privately offered Ratcliffe the job of U.S. attorney general, but Ratcliffe turned the offer down.

December 2020: Ratcliffe Warns of Chinese Threat

In December 2020, Ratcliffe warned 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".

March 2021: ODNI Releases Analysis on Russian Disinformation

In March 2021, two months after Ratcliffe's departure as DNI, the ODNI released an analysis indicating that proxies of Russian intelligence had promoted misleading narratives about the Bidens to US media and officials, including those close to former President Trump's administration.

April 2021: Ratcliffe Joins America First Policy Institute

In April 2021, after leaving the Trump administration, Ratcliffe became Co-Chair for the Center for American Security at the America First Policy Institute.

2022: Ratcliffe Calls for Stripping China of Olympic Rights

In 2022, Ratcliffe called for China to be stripped of the rights to hold the Winter Olympics because of what he said were "crimes of humanity against Uyghur Muslims".

November 2024: Trump Nominates Ratcliffe as CIA Director

In November 2024, Ratcliffe was nominated by Trump to serve as the next director of the CIA.

December 2024: Ratcliffe Concludes Role at America First Policy Institute

In December 2024, Ratcliffe concluded his role as Co-Chair for the Center for American Security at the America First Policy Institute.

January 15, 2025: Ratcliffe Appears Before Senate Committee

On January 15, 2025, Ratcliffe appeared before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, promising to keep the CIA politically neutral.

January 20, 2025: Trump Formally Nominates Ratcliffe as CIA Director

On January 20, 2025, Trump formally nominated Ratcliffe as one of his first acts as president.

January 23, 2025: Senate Confirms Ratcliffe as CIA Director

On January 23, 2025, the Senate confirmed Ratcliffe as CIA Director by a vote of 74–25, making him the second member to be confirmed in the Second cabinet of Donald Trump.

2025: Ratcliffe Participates in Leaked Signal Group Chat

From March 11 to 15, 2025, Ratcliffe was part of a group chat on Signal about military operations against the Houthis in Yemen, which was leaked due to an error by National Security Advisor Mike Waltz. During the chat, the name of an active undercover CIA officer was mentioned by Ratcliffe.

2025: Ratcliffe Contributes to Project 2025

In 2025, after leaving the Trump administration, Ratcliffe became a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation and contributor to Project 2025, where he was tasked with holding China accountable for the COVID-19 pandemic and "helping Project 2025 build out policy recommendations for intelligence reform in the next presidential administration".