The Senate intelligence committee holds 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, 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.

Senate confirmation hearings scheduled this week for more than a dozen of President-elect Donald J. Trump’s cabinet choices will provide an early test of his hold over Senate Republicans. Mr. Trump has urged the Republicans to stay united and quickly deliver the team he has selected. Read more ›

After the initial crush of personnel announcements for President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration, the nominations process will officially begin