The Senate confirms John Ratcliffe to lead the CIA, giving Trump his second Cabinet member

By DAVID KLEPPER, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate connected Thursday confirmed John Ratcliffe arsenic CIA director, giving President Donald Trump the 2nd subordinate of his new Cabinet.

Ratcliffe was director of nationalist intelligence during Trump’s archetypal word and is the archetypal idiosyncratic to have held that presumption and the apical station astatine the CIA, the nation’s premier spy agency. The Texas Republican is simply a erstwhile national authoritative who emerged arsenic a fierce Trump defender portion serving arsenic a congressman during Trump’s archetypal impeachment.

The ballot was 74-25.

At his Senate proceeding past week, Ratcliffe said the CIA indispensable bash amended erstwhile it comes to utilizing exertion specified as artificial quality to face adversaries including Russia and China. He said the United States needed to amended its quality capabilities portion besides ensuring the extortion of Americans’ civilian rights.

Ratcliffe said that if confirmed, helium would propulsion the CIA to bash much to harness technologies specified arsenic AI and quantum computing portion expanding usage of quality quality collection.

“We’re not wherever we’re expected to be,” Ratcliffe told members of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

John Ratcliffe, President-elect Donald Trump’s prime to beryllium the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, appears earlier the Senate Intelligence Committee for his confirmation hearing, astatine the Capitol successful Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

Democrats raised questions astir Ratcliffe’s objectivity and whether his loyalty to Trump would punctual him to politicize his presumption and unsighted him to the duties of the job. Concerns from Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., forced the Senate’s Republican leaders to postpone Ratcliffe’s confirmation vote, which primitively was scheduled for Tuesday.

Former Florida Sen. Marco Rubio was confirmed earlier this week arsenic caput of state, the archetypal subordinate of Trump’s Cabinet.

Ratcliffe has said helium views China arsenic America’s top geopolitical rival, and that Russia, Iran, North Korea and cause cartels, hacking gangs and violent organizations besides airs challenges to nationalist security.

He supports the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a authorities spying programme that allows authorities to cod without warrant the communications of non-Americans extracurricular the country. If those radical are communicating with Americans, those conversations tin beryllium swept up, too, which has led to questions astir violations of idiosyncratic rights.

Trump and different Republicans person criticized the enactment of the CIA and different spy agencies, saying they person focused excessively overmuch connected clime change, workforce diverseness and different issues.

The calls for a wide overhaul person disquieted immoderate existent and erstwhile quality officials who accidental the changes could marque the state little safe.

Like different Trump nominees, Ratcliffe is simply a Trump loyalist. Aside from his enactment to support Trump during his archetypal impeachment proceedings, Ratcliffe also forcefully questioned former peculiar counsel Robert Mueller erstwhile helium testified earlier lawmakers astir his probe into Russian interference successful the 2016 election.

As manager of nationalist intelligence, Ratcliffe oversaw and coordinated the enactment of much than a twelve spy agencies. Among different duties, the bureau directs efforts to observe and antagonistic overseas efforts to power U.S. politics.

Trump picked Ratcliffe to service successful that presumption successful 2019, but he quickly withdrew from consideration after lawmakers raised questions astir his qualifications. He was yet confirmed by a sharply divided Senate after Trump resubmitted the nomination.

In that job, Ratcliffe was accused by Democrats of politicizing quality erstwhile he declassified Russian intelligence that purported to uncover accusation astir Democrats during the 2016 predetermination adjacent arsenic helium acknowledged the accusation mightiness not beryllium accurate.

Trump’s second-term nominee for manager of nationalist intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, faces a tougher roadworthy to confirmation. Gabbard, a erstwhile Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, has faced bipartisan criticism over past comments supportive of Russia and 2017 meetings with then-Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Originally Published: January 23, 2025 astatine 2:30 PM EST