On Thursday, the U.S. Senate voted to confirm former House Republican and former Director of National Intelligence under Trump 1.0 John Ratcliffe (R-TX) as the next director of the Central Intelligence Agency. The final vote by voice vote resulted in 74 yes votes and 25 no votes. Mr. Ratcliffe has now been officially confirmed as director of the CIA. The only senator who did not vote, for reasons still unknown, was John Fetterman (R-PA). At this time, the formal roll call has not yet been released.
On Tuesday, President Trump said about John Ratcliffe:
Trump praised Ratcliffe’s loyalty on Tuesday, saying in his announcement: “From exposing fake Russian collusion as a Clinton campaign operation to exposing the FBI’s abuse of civil liberties in the FISA court, John Ratcliffe has always been a fighter for truth and honesty.” American public.”
A CIA official told CNN on Tuesday that the agency is “committed to ensuring a smooth transition.”
During his confirmation hearings, Mr. Ratcliffe vowed to do so Return the CIA to its core mission of intelligence gathering:
Testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee last week, Ratcliffe said he has dedicated his professional life to national security “for about a quarter century.” And he promised that if confirmed, he would focus on “prioritizing and communicating and demanding uncompromising implementation.”
He promised that if confirmed, the CIA would return to its intelligence-gathering mission.
“We will collect information – especially human information – in every corner of the world, no matter how dark or difficult,” Ratcliffe said.
With this vote, current Director Ratcliffe can get started. Ratcliffe has also stated that he views China as America’s main geopolitical rival and has vowed to continue intelligence-gathering not only on America’s rivals but also on terror groups, drug cartels and other criminal organizations.
Previously on RedState: Senate Gets to Work: Votes Multiple Trump Nominees Out of Committee (Updated)
RedState Weekly Briefing: ActBlue Blues and KJP Reviews as Ratcliffe turns the screws
Senate Democrats tried to ponderous down the vote with procedural games:
Senate Democrats delayed Ratcliffe’s confirmation after his nomination rolled out of committee earlier this week, forcing procedural maneuvers in recent days to expand consideration of his nomination. Still, Ratcliffe’s nomination advanced by a wide margin, 72 votes to 26, in a procedural vote Thursday morning.
Sen. John Barrasso, the Republican leader, celebrated that the Senate was poised to confirm Ratcliffe’s nomination, calling it “a victory for our national security” but noting that it “should have happened two days ago.”
“But Democrats needlessly delayed this important vote,” Barrasso continued. “John Ratcliffe is undeniably qualified for the job. He will lead the CIA impartially, with the safety of the American people as his top priority.”
Mr. Ratcliffe served as Director of National Intelligence during President Trump’s first term, from May 2020 until the end of the President’s term in 2021. Previously, Mr. Ratcliffe served two terms in the House of Representatives representing Texas’ 4th Congressional District after serving as United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas.
This follows the confirmation of former Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) as Secretary of State. More confirmation votes are expected before Trump’s first week ends. Stay tuned.
