John Ratcliffe (American politician)
John Ratcliffe | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 4th district | |
Assumed office January 3, 2015 | |
Preceded by | Ralph Hall |
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas | |
In office 2007–2008 | |
President | George W. Bush |
Preceded by | Matthew D. Orwig[1] |
Succeeded by | Rebecca Gregory[2] |
Mayor of Heath | |
In office 2004–2012 | |
Preceded by | Chris Cuny[3] |
Succeeded by | Lorne Liechty[4] |
Personal details | |
Born | John Lee Ratcliffe October 20, 1965 Mount Prospect, Illinois, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Michele Addington |
Children | 2 |
Education | University of Notre Dame (B.A.) Southern Methodist University (J.D.) |
Website | House website |
John Lee Ratcliffe[5] (born October 20, 1965) is an American politician and attorney who has served as the congressman for Texas's 4th district since 2015.
He has been regarded as one of the most conservative members of Congress.[6] He is a prominent Trump supporter.[7] President Donald Trump announced on July 28, 2019, that he intended to nominate Ratcliffe to replace Dan Coats as Director of National Intelligence (DNI).[8][9] Ratcliffe withdrew his name five days after some senators raised concerns, former intelligence officials said he might politicize intelligence, and media reports criticized his prosecutorial experience in terrorism and immigration cases.[10] [11][12][13]
Contents
Early life and education[edit]
Born in Mount Prospect, Illinois, northwest of Chicago, Ratcliffe was the youngest of six children; both of his parents were teachers.[14][15] He graduated from Carbondale Community High School in Carbondale, Illinois; from the University of Notre Dame in 1987 with a Bachelor of Arts in Government and International Studies; and the Southern Methodist University School of Law (now Dedman School of Law) with a Juris Doctor in 1989.[16][15][17]
Career prior to Congress[edit]
After graduating from law school, Ratcliffe was a lawyer in private practice.[18] Beginning in 2000, he was partner with Rusty Tucker in the law firm Tucker & Ratcliffe LLP, which specialized in personal injury law, medical malpractice, products liability, and business litigation matters handled on contingency fee basis.[19]
Ratcliffe was elected to four consecutive two-year terms as mayor of Heath, Texas,[20] a city of about 7,000 people, 25 miles east of downtown Dallas. He served in that position from June 2004 to May 2012.[21]
Eastern District of Texas[edit]
In 2004, President George W. Bush appointed Ratcliffe to be the Chief of Anti-Terrorism and National Security for the Eastern District of Texas, within the U.S. Department of Justice.[22] In May 2007, Ratcliffe was named U.S. Attorney for the district.[23] Ratcliffe returned to private law practice when Rebecca Gregory was confirmed by the Senate as the permanent U.S. Attorney for the district in April 2008.[24]
As a federal prosecutor, Ratcliffe "personally managed dozens of international and domestic terrorism investigations involving some of the nation’s most sensitive security matters" and "put terrorists in prison," according to his campaign website. The DOJ has documentation of Ratcliffe’s direct involvement in the prosecution of terrorism cases. [25]
Ratcliffe’s campaign website oversimplified his involvement in the federal prosecution of the Holy Land Foundation for terrorism financing, stating "there are individuals that currently sit in prison because I prosecuted them for funneling money to terrorist groups." Ratcliffe later clarified this statement from his website: “Shortly following a declared mistrial in United States v. Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, et al. in the Northern District of Texas on October 22, 2007, at the request of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, a Justice Department Order appointed U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas John Ratcliffe to investigate issues related to the outcome of the Holy Land case. Because the investigation did not result in any charges.” [26]
Despite reports that former officials and attorneys who worked on Holy Land could not recall Ratcliffe’s involvement in the case, his involvement in the mistrial was confirmed firsthand by former federal prosecutor, Nathan Garrett, [27] who was also assigned to the case. Ratcliffe was appointed by Attorney General Michael Mukasey to look into allegations relating to the cause of the mistrial; in that role, Ratcliffe made no recommendations.
Media reports also claimed that Ratcliffe was not involved in Pilgrim’s Pride, a case that led to the arrest of nearly 300 undocumented immigrants in 2008. [28] However, his involvement was nationally televised, when he delivered a press conference on behalf of the DOJ to announce the Pilgrim’s Pride raids as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas among nationally published articles and official DOJ documentation citing his involvement. [29] [30] [31] [32]
2009-2014
In 2009, Ratcliffe became a partner with former Attorney General John Ashcroft in the law firm Ashcroft, Sutton, Ratcliffe.[33][6][34]
In 2012, Ratcliffe was part of a transition team established before that year's general election by Republican candidate Mitt Romney, to vet potential Presidential appointees.[35][36][6]
U.S. House of Representatives[edit]
2014 election[edit]
In late 2013, Ratcliffe announced that he would run in the Republican primary against 17-term incumbent Congressman Ralph Hall of the 4th district. At 91, Hall was the oldest member of Congress and the oldest person ever to serve in the House of Representatives. The Dallas Morning News said that Ratcliffe was Hall's "most serious political challenge in years."[37]
In a primary campaign where Hall had begun to look increasingly vulnerable, Ratcliffe received the endorsement of the Dallas Morning News, which applauded Hall's long record of public service but cited Ratcliffe's "impressive credentials" and the need for "new ideas and fresh energy."[38]
In the March 4 primary, Ratcliffe finished second with 29 percent of the vote, behind Hall's 45 percent. Because Hall came up short of a majority, a runoff election was required. For the May 27 runoff, Ratcliffe was endorsed by the Tea Party Express, the Senate Conservatives Fund, and the Club for Growth. Hall was endorsed by the National Rifle Association, former Congressman Ron Paul, former Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee.[39] Ratcliffe defeated Hall with 53 percent of the vote,[39] the first time in twenty years that a sitting Republican congressman in Texas had been ousted in a primary.[40] Ratcliffe was one of four candidates to defeat a sitting incumbent U.S. representative in a primary election in 2014.[41]
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20200216083000im_/https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/John_Ratcliffe_at_KETR_%2816406958990%29.jpg/170px-John_Ratcliffe_at_KETR_%2816406958990%29.jpg)
In the November 2014 general election, Ratcliffe ran unopposed.[42] The 4th is a heavily Republican district; with a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+25, it is the fifth most Republican district in Texas and is tied for the 13th most Republican in the nation.
2016 election[edit]
On March 1, 2016, Ratcliffe easily defeated two challengers in the Republican primary, getting 68 percent of the vote, 47 percentage points ahead of the second-place finisher. Once again, no Democrat filed to run in the November general election. In the general election, Ratcliffe's Libertarian opponent got only 12 percent of the vote.
2018 election[edit]
On November 6, 2018, Ratcliffe won re-election to a third term with nearly 76 percent of the vote, defeating Democratic challenger Catherine Krantz and Libertarian challenger Ken Ashby.[43]
Tenure[edit]
The Dallas Morning News said in April 2016 that "Ratcliffe's first term in Washington proves that freshman lawmakers can be players of consequence in Congress."[44]
In a September 2016 hearing of the House Judiciary Committee, Ratcliffe questioned then-FBI Director James Comey about whether the FBI's decision not to recommend criminal charges against Hillary Clinton in connection with the email controversy came before or after Clinton was interviewed by investigations; Comey responded that the final decision had been made after the interviews.[45] Ratcliffe subsequently suggested that the FBI had "predetermined the result" of the investigation.[45]
Ratcliffe is a member of the Republican Study Committee[46] and the Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus.[47] In late 2018, Ratcliffe was reportedly considered for the role of Attorney General by the Trump Administration.[48][49]
In a March 2019 tweet, Ratcliffe asserted that former FBI attorney Lisa Page had confirmed to him under oath that the Obama Justice Department had ordered the FBI to not consider gross negligence charges against Hillary Clinton regarding her handling of classified material. However, the June 2018 DOJ inspector general report on the matter stated that the DOJ's analysis of the relevant statute found that the FBI evidence for such a charge was lacking, and that interpretation was consistent with "prior cases under different leadership including in the 2008 decision not to prosecute former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales for mishandling classified documents." Analysts also noted that the FBI does not charge individuals, rather the DOJ does, as Page clarified to Ratcliffe later in her testimony, but which Ratcliffe did not mention in his tweet. Fox News extensively reported Ratcliffe's account of the matter, which Trump tweeted about minutes later.[50]
Committee assignments[edit]
During the 114th Congress (2015–2017), Ratcliffe sat on the Judiciary and Homeland Security committees, where he was a subcommittee chair on the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies. [51] [52] During the 115th Congress (2017–19), Ratcliffe was a member of the Ethics, Judiciary, and Homeland Security committees.[53] Within the Homeland Security Committee, he was a member of the subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency and chaired the subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection.[53] Within the Judiciary Committee, he was a member of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations and vice chairman of the Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law.[53]
During the 116th Congress (2019–present), Ratcliffe currently sits on the Ethics, Judiciary and Intelligence Committees.[54] Within the Judiciary Committee, Ratcliffe is ranking member of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security and a member of the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet.[54] Within the Intelligence Committee, Ratcliffe is a member of the Strategic Technologies and Advanced Research Subcommittee and Intelligence and Modernization Readiness Subcommittee.[54]
Assignment to President Trump's Impeachment Team[edit]
On January 20, 2020, prior to the Senate impeachment trial, the Trump administration announced Ratcliffe as one of the congressional members of his impeachment team. [55] Upon the announcement, Ratcliffe said, "I took an oath to defend the Constitution. This impeachment is an assault on due process. It’s an assault on the separation of powers. It’s unconstitutional. I’m grateful for the opportunity to make that clear to every American during the Senate trial.” [56] Ratcliffe worked with the White House for several weeks prior to the Senate trial to prepare oral arguments and legal briefs. [57] He was tapped for the position based off his legal background and effectiveness during impeachment proceedings in the House Intelligence and Judiciary committees. [58]
Proposed Director of National Intelligence[edit]
President Donald Trump announced on July 28, 2019, that he intended to nominate Ratcliffe to replace Dan Coats as Director of National Intelligence.[8][9] Trump expressed confidence Ratcliffe could "rein in" intelligence agencies which he asserted had "run amok."[59]
Media reports that emerged following Trump's announcement of his intent to nominate Ratcliffe for DNI claimed that he had little experience in national security or national intelligence and little engagement on the matters as a congressman.[6][7][60] This contradicts the DOJ's documentation of Ratcliffe’s direct involvement in the prosecution of terrorism cases prior to Congress, [25] as well as his work on a vast array of national security and intelligence issues in his role as a U.S. Congressman. [61]
Trump's intent to nominate Ratcliffe became controversial when press reports claimed that that he misrepresented his role in prosecuting terrorism and immigration cases.[6][62][63] However, the DOJ has documentation of Ratcliffe’s direct involvement in the prosecution of terrorism cases, [25] and his involvement in the U.S. v Holy Land mistrial was confirmed firsthand by former federal prosecutor, Nathan Garrett. [27]
Ratcliffe is well known for criticizing the FBI and the special counsel investigation as being biased against Trump. Ratcliffe has also alleged that Russian interference may have benefited Trump's 2016 rival candidate Hillary Clinton more than it benefited Trump. American intelligence agencies, the Senate Intelligence Committee and Robert Mueller have maintained that Russia interfered to help Trump. A week before Trump's announcement, Ratcliffe had argued that the special counsel investigation put Trump "below the law" because it declined to exonerate Trump. Later, Ratcliffe claimed on Fox News that the special counsel investigation's report was not written by special counsel Robert Mueller, but by "Hillary Clinton’s de facto legal team".[64][9]
Democrats asserted Ratcliffe was unqualified and too partisan to serve in such a role, considered among the most nonpartisan in the federal government.[65] Some Republicans also privately expressed discontent with his selection and concerns about his ability to be confirmed.[66] However, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr and Senator John Cornyn expressed confidence in him.[67][68] Democratic senators including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Ron Wyden, a member of the Intelligence Committee, said that Radcliffe’s only qualification for the office appeared to be "blind loyalty" to Trump, noting that he has promoted of some of Trump’s conspiracy theories about the Russia investigation and has called for prosecution of Trump’s political enemies.[69][64] Several former members of the intelligence community expressed concerns that Ratcliffe's appointment risked politicizing intelligence work.[6][70] They expressed fear that with Ratcliffe as DNI, Trump would in effect be assuming personal control over the intelligence community, which would then be expected to tell him only what he wants to hear.[71] They stressed the need for intelligence to be "candid, truthful and accurate even if it is unpleasant and does not confirm to the biases of the president".[9]
On August 2, 2019, Trump said in a tweet that he was withdrawing Ratcliffe's name from nomination, claiming that mainstream media scrutiny of Ratcliffe (though using the "lamestream" pejorative in the actual message) was unfair, and would result in "months of slander and libel," while White House sources said that Trump had become concerned about Ratcliffe's chances for confirmation, following feedback from some Republican senators.[10][13] Speaking to reporters later that day, Trump insisted the press had treated Ratcliffe unfairly, but he also stated that he liked the way the press vetted his nominees, saying "You vet for me." [72] In his formal statement withdrawing from consideration, Ratcliffe said, "I do not wish for a national security and intelligence debate surrounding my confirmation, however untrue, to become a purely political and partisan issue. The country we all love deserves that it be treated as an American issue. Accordingly, I have asked the President to nominate someone other than me for this position.” [73]
Political positions[edit]
Ratcliffe is considered one of the most conservative members of Congress.[6] In 2016, The Heritage Foundation ranked Ratcliffe as the most conservative Texas legislator in Congress and second-most conservative legislator in the country.[74][75]
Iran[edit]
Ratcliffe has a hawkish position on Iran.[76]
Immigration[edit]
Ratcliffe supported President Donald Trump's 2017 executive order to prohibit immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries, stating, "I applaud President Trump's actions to vamp up the vetting of refugees attempting to enter our country."[77]
Term limits[edit]
When he first ran for Congress, Ratcliffe said that term limits were a central part of his platform.[78] He said that "I have limited myself to four terms."[79]
Cybersecurity[edit]
Ratcliffe was chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection during the 115th Congress (2017–19), when Republicans controlled the House.[53]
In March 2014, Ratcliffe oversaw a congressional hearing, "The Current State of DHS Private Sector Engagement for Cybersecurity", that studied ways to get the private sector and the Department of Homeland Security to better cooperate to prevent terrorist activity. He secured testimony from various organizations: the Hitrust Alliance, Intel Security Group, Symantec, Palo Alto Networks, and New America's Open Technology Institute.[80]
On December 16, 2016, Barack Obama signed Ratcliffe's H.R. 5877 "United States-Israel Advanced Research Partnership Act of 2016" into public law.[81] On November 2, 2017, Donald Trump signed Ratcliffe's H.R. 1616 "Strengthening State and Local Cyber Crime Fighting Act of 2017" into public law.[82]
Net neutrality[edit]
In December 2017, Ratcliffe signed a letter from Congress, along with 106 other members of Congress, to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, supporting Pai's plan to repeal net neutrality.[83]
Russia probe[edit]
Ratcliffe has staunchly supported Trump's criticism of the investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, in particular the origins of the investigation, contending "it does appear that there were crimes committed during the Obama administration."[84] Ratcliffe has stated that he has "seen no evidence" that Russian interference in the 2016 election helped get Trump elected.[76] He has described court-approved surveillance of the Trump campaign as spying.[76] He has claimed without evidence that the Russia probe was tainted by a criminal conspiracy.[12]
Days before he was announced as Trump's choice to be Director of National Intelligence, Ratcliffe drew headlines for his questioning of Robert Mueller during Mueller's congressional testimony.[85] Ratcliffe criticized Mueller for describing instances of obstruction of justice in his report on Russian interference in the 2016 election.[86] Ratcliffe claimed that Mueller went beyond the rules for special counsels, by covering instances of potential obstruction when the report did not charge any crimes. The Associated Press and PolitiFact found Ratcliffe's claim false, noting that special prosecutors are required by federal regulations to explain decisions not to prosecute.[86][87] Neal Katyal, who wrote the special counsel regulations in 1999, called Ratcliffe "dead wrong."[88]
Ratcliffe has been quoted stating that the Steele dossier, which he described as a "fake, phony dossier", was the start of the Russia probe.[89] This was confirmed Ratcliffe also asserted that Democrats "accused Donald Trump of a crime and then tried to reverse engineer a process to justify that accusation."[69] Trump was reportedly impressed by Ratcliffe's aggressive questioning of Mueller, which some sources described as Ratcliffe's "audition" to be named DNI.[85]
Shortly before Trump announced he would be nominated as DNI, Ratcliffe asserted the Obama administration had committed a felony by leaking classified transcripts of 2016 phone calls between Michael Flynn and Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak to The Washington Post.[90] The gist of the conversations were conveyed to Post reporters, but not the transcripts themselves.[91][92] He also asserted, "The Mueller report and its conclusions weren’t from Robert Mueller. They were written by what a lot of people believe was Hillary Clinton’s de facto legal team, people that had supported her, even represented some of her aides."[9]
In January 2018, Ratcliffe stated on Fox News and Twitter that he had seen a text message between FBI employees Peter Strzok and Lisa Page that referenced a "secret society," adding, "We learned today about information that in the immediate aftermath of his election, there may have been a ‘secret society’ of folks within the Department of Justice and the FBI, to include Page and Strzok, working against [Trump].” His assertion briefly went viral on pro-Trump media, and the next day Republican senator Ron Johnson claimed that Republican investigators had learned from an “informant" of meetings of a “secret society.” The text message did contain the expression "secret society," but it was soon learned to be a joke related to Strzok's purchase of "beefcake" calendars of Vladimir Putin for distribution to FBI employees who had worked on the Russian investigation.[93][94]
Personal life[edit]
Ratcliffe and his wife, Michele, live with their two daughters in Heath, Texas.[15]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Ratcliffe assumes role as lead law enforcement officer for East Texas". Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- ^ "Senate Confirms Becky Gregory As New U.S. Attorney For Eastern District Of Texas". April 29, 2008. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- ^ "Elected Officials". Archived from the original on April 30, 2004. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
- ^ Justin Cheatham. "New officials take command of Heath council". Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- ^ "State Bar of Texas - Find A Lawyer: John Lee Ratcliffe". www.texasbar.com. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g Dilanian, Ken (July 29, 2019). "Intel officials worry Trump's pick for top spy will politicize the job". NBC News.
- ^ a b "The quiet director: How Gina Haspel manages the CIA's volatile relationship with Trump". The Washington Post. 2019.
- ^ a b Trump, Donald J. [@realDonaldTrump] (July 28, 2019). "I am pleased to announce that highly respected Congressman John Ratcliffe of Texas will be nominated by me to be the Director of National Intelligence" (Tweet). Retrieved July 29, 2019 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b c d e Haberman, Maggie; Barnes, Julian; Baker, Peter (July 28, 2019). "Dan Coats to Step Down as Intelligence Chief; Trump Picks Loyalist for Job". The New York Times. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
- ^ a b Zachary Cohen; Pamela Brown; Allie Malloy; Kaitlan Collins. "Trump says Ratcliffe is no longer his pick for director of national intelligence". CNN. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
- ^ Dennis, Steven T.; Jacobs, Jennifer; Flatley, Daniel (August 2, 2019). "Ratcliffe Withdraws From Intelligence Nomination, Trump Says". Bloomberg. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
- ^ a b "Trump scuttles plan to nominate Rep. John Ratcliffe as top intelligence official". NBC News. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
- ^ a b Savage, Charlie; Barnes, Julian E.; Karni, Annie (August 2, 2019). "Trump Drops Plans to Nominate John Ratcliffe as Director of National Intelligence". The New York Times.
- ^ "John's Story". Ratcliffe for Congress. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
- ^ a b c "Biography". House of Representatives. December 11, 2012.
- ^ Keeshan, Charles (July 30, 2019). "Trump's intelligence director pick Ratcliffe was born in Mount Prospect, grew up in Palatine". Daily Herald. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
- ^ Bump, Philip (July 29, 2019). "Trump's nominee to lead America's intelligence agencies has an unusually thin resume". The Washington Post.
- ^ Curriden, Mark (Fall 2015). "A Legacy of Public Service". The Quad - SMU Alumni Magazine. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
- ^ "Rusty Tucker - LinkedIn profile". Retrieved August 24, 2019.
- ^ "John Ratcliffe". The Ashcroft Group. Archived from the original on May 29, 2014. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
- ^ "Ratcliffe will not look to continue being mayor of Heath". Rockwall County Herald-Banner. February 1, 2012. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
- ^ Richter, Karl. Only election can fill expected Ratcliffe vacancy, Texarkana Gazette, July 29, 2019.
- ^ Swartsell, Nick (April 4, 2014). "John Ratcliffe touts time as U.S. attorney in run against U.S. Rep. Ralph Hall". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
- ^ "Senate Confirms Becky Gregory As New U.S. Attorney For Eastern District Of Texas". United States Senator John Cornyn, Texas. April 29, 2008.
- ^ a b c "U.S. Attorney media releases". North Texas e-News. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
- ^ Alex Marquardt; Evan Perez. "Trump's spy chief pick claims he put terrorists in prison. His office didn't name any". CNN. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
- ^ a b "Federal Prosecutor Confirms Ratcliffe Role In Holy Land Foundation Case". The Federalist. July 30, 2019. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
- ^ Post, Robert O'Harrow Jr and Shawn Boburg, The Washington (August 2, 2019). "Trump's pick to lead U.S. intelligence claims he arrested 300 undocumented immigrants in a single day. He didn't". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
- ^ U.S. Attorney John Ratcliffe Announces Crackdown on Pilgrim’s Pride, retrieved January 7, 2020
- ^ Preston, Julia (April 17, 2008). "Immigration Sweep Ends in 280 Arrests at 5 Plants". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
- ^ "#08-305: Ice and Department of Justice Joint Operation Targets Identity Theft at Poultry Processing Plants in Five States (2008-04-16)". www.justice.gov. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
- ^ AP, David Duprey / (April 16, 2008). "Hundreds arrested in immigration raids". msnbc.com. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
- ^ Council, John; Robbins, Mary Alice (April 27, 2009). "Four Former U.S. Attorneys Join Ashcroft Law Firm". Texas Lawyer.
- ^ "Our Team - John Ratcliffe". Ashcroft Law Firm. Archived from the original on August 28, 2009.
- ^ O'Keefe, Ed (May 27, 2014). "Rep. Ralph Hall defeated by John Ratcliffe". Washington Post. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
- ^ Liddell, Christopher; Kroese, Daniel; Campbell, Clark (May 1, 2013). "Romney Readiness Project: Retrospective & Lessons Learned". R2P Inc. – via Amazon.
- ^ Gillman, Todd (December 9, 2013). "Ex-US Attorney John Ratcliffe files against Ralph Hall". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
- ^ "Editorial: We recommend Ratcliffe in the 4th Congressional District's GOP primary". Dallas Morning News. January 22, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
- ^ a b DelReal, Jose (May 27, 2014). "91-year-old Ralph Hall loses runoff". Politico. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
- ^ Mark Haslett, Trump Nominates Ratcliffe New Director of National Intelligence, KETR (July 29, 2019).
- ^ Rhodes Cook, "The Primaries of 2014: More Than Meets the Eye" in The Surge: 2014's Big GOP Win and What It Means for the Next Presidential Election (ed. Larry J. Sabato: Rowman & Littlefield, 2015), p. 40.
- ^ Clark Mindock, 30 Members, 1 Senator Running Unopposed, Roll Call (November 3, 2014).
- ^ "Report: U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe of Texas among possible AG candidates". Longview News-Journal. November 11, 2018. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
- ^ "Editorial: We recommend John Ratcliffe in GOP race for 4th Congressional District". Dallas News. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
- ^ a b "New Pressure on Comey to Return to Capitol Hill". Fox News. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
- ^ "Member List". Republican Study Committee. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
- ^ "Members". Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
- ^ NBC News, Leigh Ann Caldwell and Julia Ainsley. "Ratcliffe, Gowdy join list of potential attorney general picks". NBC News. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
- ^ Tribune, The Texas (November 11, 2018). "Report: U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe of Texas among possible AG candidates".
- ^ "Fox's "news side" runs with a farcical report that the DOJ "ordered" the FBI not to charge Clinton". Media Matters for America. March 14, 2019.
- ^ "114th Congress (2015–2017) Congressional Profile".
- ^ "Rep. Ratcliffe to chair Homeland Security subcommittee hearing in Grayson County". U.S. Congressman John Ratcliffe. April 1, 2016. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Official Alphabetical List of Standing Committee & Subcommittees for the 115th Congress, Congress Profiles: 115th Congress (2017–2019).
- ^ a b c Official List of Standing Committees and Subcommittees for the 116th Congress, Office of the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives.
- ^ "Statement from the Press Secretary Announcing Congressional Members of the President's Impeachment Team". The White House. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
- ^ "Rep. Ratcliffe statement on Appointment to Serve on President Trump's Impeachment Team". U.S. Congressman John Ratcliffe. January 20, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
- ^ "Trump adds Texas congressman John Ratcliffe to impeachment defense team". Dallas News. January 21, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
- ^ Livingston, Abby (January 21, 2020). "Trump names U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe to advisory and advocacy role during impeachment trial". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
- ^ "Defending intelligence pick, Trump says U.S. spy agencies 'run amok'". Reuters. July 30, 2019.
- ^ "Trump's pick for national intelligence director is disengaged from committee work on Capitol Hill, officials say". Washington Post.
- ^ Ratcliffe, John. "John Ratcliffe". www.congress.gov. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
- ^ Robert O'Harrow Jr. & Shawn Boburg (August 1, 2019). "Trump's pick to lead U.S. intelligence claims he arrested 300 illegal immigrants in a single day. He didn't". The Washington Post.
- ^ Alexander Mallin, James Gordon Meek & Mike Levine (July 30, 2019). "Trump's pick for intelligence director misrepresented role in anti-terror case". ABC News.
- ^ a b Demirjan, Karoun (July 28, 2019). "Intelligence chief pick Ratcliffe made his name during the Trump inquiries by backing the president". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
- ^ Associated Press. Doubts emerge about Trump pick for US intelligence chief, Nexstar Broadcasting, NBC4i.com, July 29, 2019.
- ^ Barnes, Julian E.; Fandos, Nicholas; Goldman, Adam (July 29, 2019). "Republican Senators Are Cool to Trump's Choice for Top Intelligence Post". New York Times.
- ^ Ferrechio, Susan. Top Senate Republican: Committee will 'swiftly' consider Ratcliffe nomination, Washington Examiner, July 29, 2019.
- ^ Childress, Rick (July 29, 2019). "Ratcliffe, Trump's pick for nation's top spy, finds GOP support from Cornyn".
- ^ a b "Sen. Ron Wyden Slams Trump's DNI Pick John Ratcliffe". July 29, 2019.
- ^ Borger, Julian (July 29, 2019). "Trump's intelligence pick is attempt to 'neutralise' spy agencies, say ex-officials" – via www.theguardian.com.
- ^ Sheth, Sonam. "Current and former officials say Trump's pick for spy chief would be 'an arm of the White House' who could paralyze the intelligence community". Business Insider.
- ^ "Trump to Reporters: 'You Vet for Me'". August 2, 2019.
- ^ "Rep. Ratcliffe statement on decision to withdraw from consideration for DNI". U.S. Congressman John Ratcliffe. August 2, 2019. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
- ^ "Heritage Scorecard". Heritage Action for America. December 24, 2016. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
- ^ O'Reilly, Andrew (July 29, 2019). "John Ratcliffe could go from small town mayor to Trump's intelligence czar". Fox News. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
- ^ a b c Post, The Jakarta. "US intel chief to leave Trump administration". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
- ^ Blake, Aaron. "Coffman, Gardner join Republicans against President Trump's travel ban; here's where the rest stand". Denver Post. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
- ^ Walters, Edgar (February 28, 2014). "Five Challengers Take On Congress' Oldest Member". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
- ^ Gizzi, John (May 15, 2014). "Rep. Ralph Hall, 91, Faces Fight of His Career in Runoff". Newsmax. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
- ^ "Ratcliffe chairs hearing on DHS-private sector partnerships on cybersecurity". Homeland Preparedness News. March 14, 2017. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
- ^ John, Ratcliffe (December 16, 2016). "H.R.5877 - 114th Congress (2015-2016): United States-Israel Advanced Research Partnership Act of 2016". www.congress.gov.
- ^ Ratcliffe, John (November 2, 2017). "Text - H.R.1616 - 115th Congress (2017-2018): Strengthening State and Local Cyber Crime Fighting Act of 2017".
- ^ "Letter to the FCC on Restoring Internet Freedom". Energy and Commerce Committee. December 13, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
- ^ Nicole Gaouette; Jeremy Herb; Manu Raju. "Trump nominates staunch loyalist John Ratcliffe to become chief US spymaster". CNN.
- ^ a b "GOP Rep. John Ratcliffe's intense Mueller questioning may have been an audition for President Trump". The Week. July 24, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
- ^ a b "Did Mueller break the rules for special counsels? No". @politifact. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
- ^ "Did Mueller break the rules for special counsels? No". @politifact.
- ^ Yen, Hope; Woodward, Calvin (July 24, 2019). "AP FACT CHECK: Trump falsely claims Mueller exonerated him". AP NEWS.
- ^ Robertson, Lori (March 27, 2019). "Dossier Not What 'Started All of This'". FactCheck.org. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
- ^ "John Ratcliffe Says Crimes Committed During Obama Presidency". July 29, 2019.
- ^ "Opinion | Why Flynn was undone by a phone call". Washington Post.
- ^ "National security adviser Flynn discussed sanctions with Russian ambassador, despite denials, officials say". Washington Post.
- ^ Sommer, Will (July 30, 2019). "Trump Intel Pick John Ratcliffe Started Theory of FBI Anti-Trump 'Secret Society'" – via www.thedailybeast.com.
- ^ Reilly, Ryan J. (January 25, 2018). "'Secret Society' FBI Text Actually Began With A 'Beefcake' Putin Calendar". HuffPost.
External links[edit]
- Congressman Ratcliffe official US House website
- John Ratcliffe for Congress
- John Ratcliffe at Curlie
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Money-in-Politics profile from OpenSecrets.org
U.S. House of Representatives | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Ralph Hall |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 4th congressional district 2015–present |
Incumbent |
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
Preceded by Gary Palmer |
United States Representatives by seniority 272nd |
Succeeded by Kathleen Rice |
- 1965 births
- 21st-century American politicians
- American conservative people
- Dedman School of Law alumni
- Living people
- Mayors of places in Texas
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas
- People from Heath, Texas
- People from Mount Prospect, Illinois
- Rejected or withdrawn nominees to the United States Executive Cabinet
- Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives
- Texas lawyers
- Texas Republicans
- United States Attorneys for the Eastern District of Texas
- University of Notre Dame alumni