John Ratcliffe (born October 20, 1965) is an American politician and attorney who has served as the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) since 2025, after previously holding the role of Director of National Intelligence (DNI) from 2020 to 2021. A Republican, he began his political career as mayor of Heath, Texas (2004–2012) and as a U.S. Attorney, before winning a seat in Congress in 2014 by defeating 30-year incumbent Ralph Hall, representing Texas's 4th district until 2020. Ratcliffe gained national attention for his aggressive questioning of figures like special counsel Robert Mueller, which led President Trump to nominate him for DNI in 2019—a bid he briefly withdrew—before being confirmed by the Senate in May 2020. In November 2024, Trump tapped him to lead the CIA, and after Senate confirmation, Ratcliffe pursued controversial policies including mass firings at the agency, expanding drone operations into Mexico, providing intelligence for strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, and initiating covert operations in Venezuela. His tenure has been marked by a highly interventionist foreign policy approach, culminating in preparations for the U.S. strikes that began the Iran war.