Politics
JUST IN: Key Trump Nominee Confirmed In 74-25 Vote
In a significant development for the Trump administration, the Senate delivered a resounding vote of confidence in confirming John Ratcliffe as the next director of the Central Intelligence Agency. The 74-25 vote saw strong bipartisan support, with twenty-one Democrats joining Republicans to approve Ratcliffe’s nomination.
The confirmation solidifies Ratcliffe’s position as the second member of President Trump’s national security team to receive Senate approval, marking a key victory for the administration. Despite opposition from a small group of lawmakers, Ratcliffe easily surpassed the required 51-vote threshold.
The vote tally reflected a broad coalition of support, with Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) notably absent from the proceedings. The final count included 74 ‘yes’ votes to 25 ‘no’ votes to secure Ratcliffe’s decisive win.
Ratcliffe’s nomination was approved by the Senate Intelligence Committee with a vote of 14 to 3. Ratcliffe, a staunch Trump ally and former Director of National Intelligence, is expected to bring a firm hand to the CIA amid ongoing national security challenges.
WATCH:
In November, President-elect Trump announced his intention to nominate Ratcliffe as the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). His confirmation hearing was held on January 15. Senate Democrats stalled the quick confirmation of Ratcliffe’s nomination on January 21, 2025, despite overall favorable feedback.
They raised concerns about his previous political influence over intelligence. With his confirmation secured, Ratcliffe will now take the helm of the CIA at a critical juncture, facing pressing threats from foreign adversaries and evolving intelligence challenges.
Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) called for a detailed discussion of Ratcliffe’s credentials instead of hurrying the process. “I don’t think it’s too much to ask to make sure that we have a full, real debate that lasts two days on the Senate floor,” Murphy said Tuesday.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), however, voiced his support for Ratcliffe’s new appointment earlier this week on the Senate floor. “He will bring valuable knowledge and experience to his new post,” Thune said. “Mr. Ratcliffe brings the right experience and the right approach to the CIA, and I look forward to working with him in his new position.”
Thune warned that he would extend Senate sessions through the weekend unless Democrats stopped delaying and permitted rapid voting on nominees, accusing them of “stalling President Trump’s nominees.”
“If Democrats want to spend their nights and weekends taking votes on uncontroversial nominees, we can do it that way,” he said during a Thursday floor speech. “But one way or the other, these nominees will be confirmed.”
A former congressman, Ratcliffe served as the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) under President Trump from 2020 to 2021. As DNI, he oversaw the U.S. intelligence community and strongly advocated for Trump’s policies. He often raised concerns about threats from China and challenged narratives of Russian interference in U.S. elections.
Before his tenure in the intelligence community, Ratcliffe represented Texas’s 4th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he was known for his conservative stance on key issues and his loyalty to Trump. Since leaving office, he has remained active in political commentary and has been a vocal critic of the Biden administration’s national security policies.
