The Senate voted on Thursday to confirm President Donald Trump’s pick to run the Central Intelligence Agency, former director of national intelligence John Ratcliffe.
The GOP-controlled Senate voted 74–25 to confirm Ratcliffe, with many Democrats joining Republicans in voting for the former congressman after the chamber easily advanced Ratcliffe’s nomination Thursday morning.
Ratcliffe’s confirmation followed a confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee last week where he said the U.S. is facing possibly the most difficult national security environment in its history because of multiple geopolitical threats. China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are among the adversaries the U.S. will have to handle over the next four years in an increasingly tumultuous world.
“For roughly a quarter-century, I have devoted my professional life to U.S. national security,” Ratcliffe said.
Ratcliffe was previously a member of House committees on homeland security and intelligence when he represented Texas’s fourth district.
“If confirmed, my leadership at CIA will focus on setting and communicating priorities, and demanding relentless execution,” he added.
“Above all will be a strict adherence to the CIA’s mission. We will collect intelligence — especially human intelligence — in every corner of the globe, no matter how dark or difficult. We will produce insightful, objective, all-source analysis, never allowing political or personal biases to cloud our judgement or infect our products.”
Some Democrats voiced opposition to Ratcliffe because they do not believe he would be willing to stand up to President Trump or former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s pick to be director of national intelligence.
“I’m deeply worried that Mr. Ratcliffe will be unable to stand up to people like Donald Trump and Tulsi Gabbard, who are known to falsify intelligence,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) said Thursday, explaining his opposition to Ratcliffe.
Senator Chris Murphy (D., Conn.) objected to the Senate GOP’s attempt to limit debate time in order to speed up Ratcliffe’s confirmation, ensuring it happened later in the week rather than Tuesday, Trump’s first full day in office.
Ratcliffe strongly defended Trump during the Russiagate scandal when Democrats and allied institutions falsely accused Trump of colluding with the Russian government during the 2016 election.
Trump nominated Ratcliffe twice to be director of national intelligence during his first term. The first time around, Trump withdrew Ratcliffe’s nomination upon media scrutiny of his prior experience, but Trump later re-nominated him in 2020. The Senate confirmed Ratcliffe 49–44 in 2020 and he served for the remainder of Trump’s term.
Ratcliffe is the second Trump appointee to be confirmed, after Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Trump and the GOP Senate are hoping to confirm the president’s picks as quickly as possible to get the administration moving quickly. Republican Senators have promised to keep the chamber in session over the weekend to advance Trump’s nominees if Democrats continue to obstruct the process.