On Thursday, a majority of the U.S. Senate confirmed President Donald Trump’s nominee, John Ratcliffe, a former House of Representatives member who served as Director of National Intelligence during Trump’s first term, as the new director of the CIA.
The Senate voted 74-25 in favor of Ratcliffe’s nomination, with 20 Democrats and one independent joining Republicans in supporting him.
The Republican-led Senate has been working to swiftly confirm Trump’s top nominees, particularly within his national security team. Former Republican Senator Marco Rubio was confirmed on Monday, the day of Trump’s inauguration, and Senate leaders scheduled a procedural vote later on Thursday for Trump’s nomination of former Fox News personality Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense.
During his nomination hearing last week, members of the Senate Intelligence Committee pressed Ratcliffe on whether he would fire or push out CIA employees based on their political views or opinions about Trump, who has frequently criticized the agency and its assessments. Ratcliffe assured lawmakers that he would not take such actions, and the committee voted 14-3 in his favor on Monday, clearing the way for the full Senate vote.
Ratcliffe served as Director of National Intelligence from May 2020 until Trump’s departure from office in January 2021. In his confirmation hearing, he expressed confidence in the U.S.’s ability to counter Russia and China, promised to investigate whether U.S. personnel affected by “Havana Syndrome” ailments were targeted by foreign adversaries, and committed to developing offensive cyber capabilities.