Senate confirms John Ratcliffe as CIA director

Mike Heuer

January 23, 2025 at 5:16 p.m.·3 min read

Vice President JD Vance swears in John Ratcliffe, with his wife Michele (R), as director of the Central Intelligence Agency during a ceremony in the Vice President's ceremonial office in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. Photo by Shawn Thew/UPI

Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Former Congressman John Ratcliffe is the nation's new CIA director after the Senate voted 74-25 in favor of his confirmation on Thursday.

Ratcliffe was a Republican representative for Texas from 2015 until President Donald Trump made him the director of the Department of National Intelligence in May 2020. He was in that role until the end of Trump's first term.

All Senate Republicans and 21 members of the Senate Democratic Caucus voted to confirm Ratcliffe's nomination. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., did not vote.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., earlier this week said Ratcliffe would "bring valuable knowledge and experience" to the CIA post.

"Mr. Ratcliffe brings the right experience and the right approach to the CIA," Thune said. "I look forward to working with him in this new position."

The Senate Intelligence Committee voted 14-3 to advance Ratcliffe's nomination as CIA director following his confirmation hearing on Jan. 15.

Unlike Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose Senate confirmation was fast-tracked by a 99-0 vote on Monday, opposition from some Senate Democrats slowed Ratcliffe's confirmation.

The Senate on Thursday confirmed John Ratcliffe as director of the Central Intelligence Agency, making him the second high-level addition to President Donald Trump's cabinet. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., prevented Ratcliffe's nomination from being fast-tracked, too.

Murphy said many of his colleagues in the Senate Democratic Caucus have serious concerns that Ratcliffe did not separate his post from Trump's personal interests while National Intelligence director in 2020.

Michele Radcliffe, wife of John Ratcliffe, listens as her husband testifies during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing earlier this month. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., opposed Ratcliffe's confirmation on Thursday, saying he didn't trust Ratcliffe's ability to "stand up to people like Donald Trump and Tulsi Gabbard, who are known to falsify intelligence," NBC News reported.

"As CIA director, Mr. Ratcliffe will have to make decisions based on intelligence and fact," Schumer said.

During his confirmation hearing, Ratcliffe told Senate Intelligence Committee members he intends to support the adoption of technology to assist the CIA in collecting and analyzing intelligence.

He also cited China as the United State's top global adversary and the Chinese Communist Party as the nation's top security threat.

Ratcliffe's confirmation makes him the second high-level Cabinet member confirmed by the Senate, with Rubio being the first on Monday.

The Senate confirmation hearings and votes might continue into the weekend.

Thune has said he will continue the Senate session into the weekend if Senate Democrats continue to slow the confirmation process for Trump's Cabinet nominees.

Confirmations yet to be made include Pete Hegseth for secretary of Defense, Kristi Noem for secretary of Homeland Security, Scott Bessent for Treasury secretary and Gabbard as the director of national intelligence.

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