The Senate has approved John Ratcliffe as Trump’s CIA Director with 74 senators voting yes and 25 voting no, according to Senate records. This strong support shows broad backing for his appointment.
Ratcliffe makes history as the first person to lead both America’s top spy agencies—the CIA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). In his DNI role, he supervised all 18 U.S. intelligence agencies, building significant experience in intelligence operations.
“Today we face what may be the most challenging national security environment in our nation’s history,” Ratcliffe told senators during his confirmation hearing. He pointed to major concerns: China’s push for global power, transnational criminal organizations bringing violence and deadly narcotics to American communities, the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, and Iran’s nuclear program.
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Ratcliffe promised to focus on using new technology, especially artificial intelligence, to help improve intelligence capabilities. But he stressed maintaining civil liberties: “If you look at my record as DNI, that never took place. That is something that I would never do,” he told Senator Mark Warner.
While most senators backed Ratcliffe, some raised concerns. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer worried about potential politicization of intelligence. But Republican leader John Thune praised Ratcliffe’s experience and approach to national security.
