Senate Confirms John Ratcliffe as CIA Director, 74 to 25
The U.S. Senate in Washington voted 74 to 25 on January 23, 2025, to confirm John Ratcliffe as director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Ratcliffe was the second Cabinet-level nominee of President Donald Trump's second term to win Senate confirmation, after Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was confirmed unanimously on January 20. Hours after the vote, Ratcliffe was sworn in by Vice President JD Vance.
Ratcliffe served as director of national intelligence in the final months of Trump's first term and previously represented Texas in the U.S. House. He became the first person to have held both the director of national intelligence post and the top job at the CIA.
The Senate Intelligence Committee advanced the nomination to the full Senate on January 20 by a vote of 14 to 3. At his January 15 confirmation hearing, Ratcliffe said the CIA had to do better at using technology to confront adversaries. Several Democratic senators questioned whether he would keep intelligence work objective, and Senator Chris Murphy objected to handling the nomination under a fast-track agreement, delaying the confirmation vote from Tuesday to Thursday. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he would vote no.
(Source: U.S. Senate)
Source: U.S. Senate
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：中央情报局局长 John Ratcliffe 官方肖像。（中央情报局官方照片，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons） / Photo: Official portrait of CIA Director John Ratcliffe. (Central Intelligence Agency photo, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
