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John Ratcliffe, who served as director of national intelligence
during Trump's first term, is a former federal prosecutor and
conservative member of Congress representing a district in
Texas. He was a fierce defender of Trump during his first
impeachment proceedings in the House.
His hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee is part of
a weeklong marathon as the Republican-led Senate rushes to have
some of Trump’s nominees ready to be confirmed by the full
Senate as soon as Inauguration Day on Monday.
If approved, Ratcliffe will succeed outgoing CIA Director
William Burns.
Trump first tapped Ratcliffe to serve as director of national
intelligence in 2019, but he quickly withdrew from consideration
after lawmakers raised questions about his qualifications. He
was ultimately confirmed by a sharply divided Senate after Trump
resubmitted the nomination.
As director of national intelligence, Ratcliffe oversaw and
coordinated the work of more than a dozen spy agencies. Among
other duties, the office directs efforts to detect and counter
foreign efforts to influence U.S. politics.
That experience is expected to boost Ratcliffe's chances in the
Senate this year, especially compared with Trump's nomination of
Tulsi Gabbard to serve as director of national intelligence.
Gabbard, a former congresswoman from Hawaii, has faced
bipartisan criticism over past comments supportive of Russia and
2017 meetings with former Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Like other Trump nominees, Ratcliffe is a Trump loyalist. Aside
from his work to defend Trump during his first impeachment
proceedings, Ratcliffe also forcefully questioned former special
counsel Robert Mueller when he testified before lawmakers about
his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016
election.
As director of national intelligence, Ratcliffe was accused by
Democrats of politicizing intelligence when he declassified
Russian intelligence that purported to reveal information about
Democrats during the 2016 election even as he acknowledged the
information might not be accurate.
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