The Senate intelligence committee opened a confirmation hearing on Wednesday for President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be CIA director, John Ratcliffe, a former Republican lawmaker who was accused of using intelligence for political ends as the nation’s top spy during the incoming U.

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.

Six of President-elect Donald Trump's nominees will face tough questions in multiple Senate confirmation hearings Wednesday.

Opposition to prospective nominees, along with time-consuming Senate rules, will slow floor action despite the Republican push for approval of some of President-elect Donald J. Trump’s picks as soon as Jan.

Ratcliffe, director of national intelligence for the final months of Trump’s first term, goes before the Senate Intelligence Committee. The former Texas congressman is in line to lead the nation's premier spy agency, responsible for foreign covert operations and collecting data on U.S. adversaries.

John Ratcliffe, Trump’s Choice For CIA Director, Testifies At Senate Confirmation Hearing Former Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX), President-elect Trump's nominee for Director of the CIA, participates in a confirmation hearing held by the Senate Intelligence Committee.