Is he obeying Trump — who is the new CIA Head John Ratcliffe?

Donald Trump’s team was approved immediately after his inauguration. John Ratcliffe, who was previously the Director of National Intelligence, has been appointed Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). 

In the article by Novyny.LIVE, find out what we know about him and what Ratcliffe has to say about the war in Ukraine. 

John Ratcliffe’s career

The American politician’s career biography is short but meaningful. He graduated from law school, opened a law firm, and then left it for a position in the US Attorney’s office in Texas. He served four consecutive terms as Mayor of Heath, Texas. 

He also worked as the Head of Counterterrorism and National Security in Texas. He was later appointed interim US Attorney in the District and once claimed to have arrested more than 300 illegal immigrants per day. 

In 2020, Trump announced that he would nominate Ratcliffe for the post of Director of National Intelligence, and he did. At the time, Ratcliffe was criticized for not becoming apolitical, but rather using his position to score political points for Trump.

In 2024, Trump announced that he would nominate Ratcliffe for the post of CIA Director, and the Senate voted for him on January 23, with 74 votes in favor and 25 against.

During his speech before the vote, Ratcliffe promised not to interfere with politics in decision-making, and to use loyalty tests as a basis for firing CIA employees.

Already in early February, Trump’s team began to cut federal agencies, and CIA employees were offered to voluntarily leave their jobs and receive compensation in the amount of eight months’ salary in return. 

John Ratcliffe about Ukraine

Even before his confirmation as Head of the CIA, he stated that the Russian-Ukrainian war increased the risk of a US conflict with Russia. 

"The Russian-Ukrainian war continues, spreading devastation and increasing the risk of the United States being drawn into a conflict with a nuclear power," the politician said. 

Already at his Senate hearing, he said that the US could stand up to Russia and China. He will investigate whether American diplomats suffered from the "Havana syndrome", which was attacked by a foreign adversary. 

In addition, "Havana syndrome" refers to abnormal medical incidents that occur to US government officials and US military personnel abroad.

On a personal note, Ratcliffe has a wife and two adult daughters.

Earlier, Novyny.LIVE wrote about what is known about Donald Trump’s new team — Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and US Vice President JD Vance.