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. 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.
1903: Creation of the 4th District
In 1903, the 4th Congressional District was created. When John Ratcliffe took office in January 3, 2015, he became only the fifth person to represent the district since its creation.
October 20, 1965: John Ratcliffe Born
On October 20, 1965, John Lee Ratcliffe was born. He later became a politician and attorney, serving as the ninth director of the CIA starting in 2025.
1987: Graduated from the University of Notre Dame
In 1987, John 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, John Ratcliffe graduated from the Southern Methodist University School of Law (now Dedman School of Law) with a Juris Doctor.
1999: Katyal Wrote Special Counsel Regulations
In 1999, Neal Katyal wrote the special counsel regulations, which Ratcliffe was accused of misinterpreting during his questioning of Robert Mueller.
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.
2008: Mention of 2008 DOJ Decision
In 2008, the Department of Justice made a decision not to prosecute former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales for mishandling classified documents, which was later referenced in a 2018 report related to the Hillary Clinton email investigation.
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.
July 2016: FBI Initiated Russia Probe
In July 2016, the FBI initiated an investigation into Russian interference, triggered by information about George Papadopoulos, according to the House Republican intelligence committee's memo, contradicting Ratcliffe's claim that the Steele dossier initiated the probe.
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.
2016: Comments on Russian Interference
In 2016, John Ratcliffe alleged that Russian interference may have helped Hillary Clinton more than Trump. American intelligence agencies have maintained that Russia interfered to help Trump.
2016: Ratcliffe Supported Trump's Criticism of Russia Investigation
In 2016, Ratcliffe staunchly supported Donald Trump's criticism of the investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, particularly the origins of the investigation, suggesting potential crimes during the Obama administration. Ratcliffe 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 asserted that classified transcripts were leaked
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 alleging Hillary Clinton approved a scheme to link Trump to Putin and Russian hacking, providing it to Senator Lindsey Graham for public release, despite prior rejection by the Senate Intelligence Committee. Ratcliffe acknowledged uncertainty about the accuracy of the allegation.
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.
December 2017: Ratcliffe Supported Repeal of Net Neutrality
In December 2017, Ratcliffe signed a letter along with 106 other members of Congress, supporting Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai's plan to repeal net neutrality.
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 Supported Trump's Immigration Ban
In 2017, Ratcliffe supported President Donald Trump's executive order to prohibit immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries, stating his approval of increased refugee vetting.
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.
June 2018: DOJ Inspector General Report on Clinton Email Investigation
The June 2018 DOJ inspector general report stated that the DOJ's analysis of the relevant statute found that the FBI evidence for gross negligence charges against Hillary Clinton was lacking, and that interpretation was consistent with "prior cases under different leadership including in the 2008 decision not to prosecute former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales for mishandling classified documents."
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.
March 2019: Controversial Tweet
In March 2019, John Ratcliffe tweeted that former FBI attorney Lisa Page had confirmed that the Obama Justice Department had ordered the FBI not to consider gross negligence charges against Hillary Clinton regarding her handling of classified material.
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.
February 29, 2020: Sen. Warner Warned Against Renominating Ratcliffe
On February 29, 2020, Sen. Mark Warner, vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, warned Trump against re-nominating John Ratcliffe.
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 2020: Ratcliffe Declassified Flynn 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
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.
March 2021: ODNI Released Analysis on Russian Disinformation
In March 2021, two months after Ratcliffe's departure as DNI, the ODNI released an analysis indicating that Russian intelligence proxies promoted misleading narratives about the Bidens to US media, officials, and individuals connected to the Trump administration.
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.
2021: Former Director of National Intelligence
By 2021, John Ratcliffe had completed his service as the sixth director of national intelligence.
2022: Ratcliffe called for China to be stripped of the rights to hold the 2022 Winter Olympics
In 2022, Ratcliffe called for China to be stripped of the rights to hold the 2022 Winter Olympics because of what he said were "crimes of humanity against Uyghur Muslims" and alleged "a massive cover up of the (COVID-19) virus’s origins" and the "circumstances surrounding its initial outbreak".
September 2024: Ratcliffe spoke at Trump Vance Campaign fundraising event
In September 2024, Ratcliffe was a Special Guest Speaker for a Trump Vance Campaign fundraising event.
November 12, 2024: Nomination for Director of the CIA
On November 12, 2024, President-elect Trump announced that he would nominate John Ratcliffe to be the director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
November 2024: Ratcliffe Nominated for CIA Director
In November 2024, Donald Trump nominated Ratcliffe to serve as the next director of the CIA.
December 2024: Ratcliffe's role at America First Policy Institute ended
From April 2021 until December 2024, Ratcliffe served as Co-Chair for the Center for American Security at the America First Policy Institute.
January 15, 2025: Ratcliffe Appeared Before Senate Committee
On January 15, 2025, Ratcliffe appeared before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, promising political neutrality for the CIA.
January 20, 2025: Trump Formally Nominated Ratcliffe
On January 20, 2025, Donald Trump formally nominated Ratcliffe as one of his first acts as president.
January 23, 2025: Senate Confirmed Ratcliffe as CIA Director
On January 23, 2025, the Senate confirmed Ratcliffe as CIA Director by a vote of 74–25.
2025: Appointed Director of the CIA
In 2025, John Ratcliffe became the ninth director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). This is a significant milestone in his career.
2025: Ratcliffe Participated in Leaked Signal Chat
In 2025, Ratcliffe participated in a Signal messaging service group chat about military operations against the Houthis in Yemen. The chat was leaked when Jeffrey Goldberg was added erroneously, and Ratcliffe mentioned the name of an undercover CIA officer in the chat.
2025: Ratcliffe to help Project 2025
In 2025, Ratcliffe was tasked with helping Project 2025 with intelligence reform policy recommendations.
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