John Ratcliffe was sworn in as the 25th Director of the Central Intelligence Agency according to a press release on January 23, 2025. Vice President JD Vance administered the official oath of office in a ceremony at the White House. Director Ratcliffe is the first person ever to serve as both Director of the CIA and Director of National Intelligence, having previously been confirmed as DNI during President Trump’s first administration. He also previously served as a member of Congress in the US House of Representatives.
Director Ratcliffe said “it is the privilege of a lifetime to lead the patriotic men and women of the CIA, an agency so vital to America’s national security and one with a culture of unwavering commitment to mission. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to serve President Trump again and thank him for entrusting me with this tremendous responsibility.”
On December 22, 2020, John Ratcliffe, the former Director of National Intelligence (DNI), was awarded the National Security Medal by the President in recognition of his significant contributions to intelligence and national security. The National Security Medal, the highest honor in the field, acknowledges Ratcliffe’s achievements both as DNI and during his tenure as a Member of Congress, where he played a critical role in shaping national security policy.
In addition, the Secretary of Defense presented Ratcliffe with the Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal. This honor recognized his integral role in numerous successful special operations, as well as his efforts to provide the Secretary of Defense with the necessary information to make decisions that led to the elimination of terrorists from the battlefield, thereby safeguarding U.S. forces and citizens.
Before his confirmation as DNI, Ratcliffe served over five years as the U.S. Representative for Texas’s 4th Congressional District. During his time in Congress, he was a prominent policymaker on national security issues, holding positions on the House Intelligence, Homeland Security, and Judiciary committees.
Ratcliffe’s legislative achievements include authoring the United States-Israel Advanced Research Partnership Act, signed into law in 2016, which facilitated collaboration between the U.S. and Israel on cybersecurity technology development for national security purposes. He also authored the Strengthening State and Local Cyber Crime Fighting Act, enacted in 2017, which established the National Computer Forensics Institute as a national training center for law enforcement on the use of cyber technologies to investigate and secure digital evidence.
Before his congressional career, Ratcliffe served in the George W. Bush administration from 2004 to 2008. He was initially appointed Chief of Anti-Terrorism and National Security for the Eastern District of Texas before being named U.S. Attorney in 2007. His work during this time focused on combating terrorism and enhancing national security measures.
From 2008 to 2014, Ratcliffe co-founded Ashcroft Sutton Ratcliffe LLP with former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft. The firm provided strategic legal counsel on national and international security matters.