DCIA John Ratcliffe Welcomes Josh Simmons as CIA General Counsel Following Senate Confirmation

The CIA General Counsel is the Agency’s chief legal officer. By law and policy, the General Counsel:

• Serves as the primary legal adviser to the Director of the CIA and other senior leaders.
• Oversees and manages all of the CIA’s legal affairs through the Office of General Counsel (OGC).
• Ensures CIA operations, policies, and management activities comply with U.S. law, executive orders, and applicable regulations.
• Provides legal and policy advice on issues such as intelligence operations, litigation, procurement and contracts, personnel, ethics, information law, privacy and civil liberties, finance and appropriations, and science and technology activities.
• Performs any additional legal functions assigned by the Director of the CIA.

These duties are grounded in statute (50 U.S.C. § 3520) and described in CIA’s own organizational materials.

Josh (Joshua) Simmons is a lawyer with a background in government and international disputes:

• Immediately before his CIA role, he served at the U.S. Department of State as Principal Deputy Legal Adviser (also described by CIA as Principal Deputy General Counsel) and previously as Senior Adviser and Attorney‑Adviser in the State Department’s Office of the Legal Adviser.
• Before entering government, he was a partner and co‑head of the Global Disputes practice at the law firm Wiley Rein LLP, and earlier practiced international arbitration and litigation at Covington & Burling LLP and Three Crowns LLP in Washington, D.C.
• He holds undergraduate degrees (economics and political science) with honors and highest distinction from the University of North Carolina, and a law degree from the University of Virginia, where he was a Dean’s Scholar and member of the Virginia Law Review.

These roles and credentials are summarized by CIA and the State Department.

The Senate confirmed Joshua Simmons as CIA General Counsel by a 53–47 vote. All 53 votes in favor were cast by Republicans, and all 47 votes against were cast by Democrats (and allied independents), making it essentially a party‑line confirmation with a six‑vote margin.

Public records state that Joshua Simmons’s nomination was confirmed by the Senate on January 6, 2026, but they do not specify the exact date he was sworn in or officially began performing the duties of CIA General Counsel. No CIA or Senate document located provides a precise “in office from” date for his service.

Director Ratcliffe’s confirmation‑day statement only says that Josh Simmons “brings an impressive record and the expertise to advance the President’s priorities at the Agency” and does not list or describe those priorities. No accompanying CIA or White House document tied to this press release specifies which particular presidential priorities he was referring to, so they cannot be identified from the public record.

By statute, the CIA General Counsel is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, not selected by the Director. The law specifies that the General Counsel is the Agency’s chief legal officer and “shall perform such functions as the Director may prescribe. In practice, this means:

• The President chooses the nominee; the Senate confirms or rejects that choice.
• The Director of the CIA (DCIA) does not formally appoint the General Counsel but typically supports or advises on the choice and then oversees the General Counsel’s work as a senior member of the leadership team, assigning functions and relying on them for legal advice on CIA activities.

Available public records show the Senate held a confirmation hearing for Joshua Simmons in the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and then confirmed him by a closely divided 53–47 vote, but they do not compile broader reactions. Beyond Director Ratcliffe’s supportive statements and routine committee materials (questionnaires and Q&A), there is no widely reported, specific statement from major civil‑liberties groups or named lawmakers taking a strong public position for or against Simmons personally. Any such comments, if made, do not appear in major public or archival sources tied to his nomination.