Last updated on August 6, 2019
John Ratcliffe, Former Heath mayor and current House representative, will be nominated to replace Dan Coats as the director of national intelligence, President Trump said on Sunday.
“A former U.S. Attorney, John will lead and inspire greatness for the Country he loves,” Mr. Trump said on Twitter. Mr. Coats will leave the position Aug. 15, and an acting director will be named shortly, the president said.
If nominated and confirmed by the Senate, Mr. Ratcliffe would become the sixth person to serve as the director of national intelligence, a position that was created after the Sept. 11 attacks to promote better coordination among the country’s intelligence agencies.
Mr. Ratcliffe is the son of two teachers and the youngest of six children, according to his website. He graduated from high school in Illinois, attended the University of Notre Dame in Indiana and earned a law degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
According to his website, “as a Texas mayor, the worst economic recession of our lifetime didn’t stop John from balancing eight straight budgets without raising taxes. He also successfully operated and managed a $12 million budget allocated to him by the U.S. Department of Justice.”
He was elected to the House in 2014 unseating in a primary the incumbent Republican representative, Ralph Hall, who at 91 was the oldest member of the House.
