US Senate confirms Trump nominee John Ratcliffe as CIA director
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US senators voted to confirm Mr John Ratcliffe by 74-25, with 20 Democrats and one independent joining Republicans in backing the nomination.
PHOTO: NYTIMES
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WASHINGTON - A majority of the US Senate on Jan 23 backed President Donald Trump’s nominee John Ratcliffe, a former House of Representatives member who served as director of national intelligence during Mr Trump’s first term, as director of the CIA.
The Senate voted to confirm Mr Ratcliffe by 74-25, as 20 Democrats and one independent joined Republicans in backing the nomination.
The Republican-led Senate has been working to confirm Mr Trump’s nominees for top positions in his administration as quickly as possible, starting with his national security team.
Former Republican Senator Marco Rubio was confirmed on Jan 20, the day of Mr Trump’s inauguration, and Senate leaders scheduled a procedural vote on Mr Trump’s nomination of former Fox News personality Pete Hegseth to be secretary of defence for later on Jan 23.
Members of the Senate Intelligence Committee questioned Mr Ratcliffe closely during his nomination hearing last week about whether he would fire or force out employees for their political views or opinions about Trump, who frequently has attacked the the premier US intelligence agency and its assessments.
Mr Ratcliffe vowed not to do so, and the committee backed him by 14-3 at a meeting on Jan 20, clearing the way for consideration by the full Senate.
Mr Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence, the country’s top spy, from May 2020 until Mr Trump left office in January 2021.
Mr Ratcliffe also told his hearing he was confident the US can counter Russia and China, pledged to look into whether US personnel afflicted by “Havana Syndrome” ailments were targeted by an adversary and develop offensive cyber tools. REUTERS
