The United States Senate confirmed John Ratcliffe as the new director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the latest session. Ratcliffe thus becomes the second cabinet member of President Donald Trump to receive the green light for his position.
With 74 votes in favor and 25 against, the chamber approved Ratcliffe's appointment, a former congressman from Texas who served as the director of National Intelligence during the last months of Trump's first term.
Ratcliffe's confirmation took place after the Senate also unanimously approved Marco Rubio's appointment as the new Secretary of State, shortly after Trump's inauguration.
Ratcliffe succeeds Bill Burns at the CIA, who served during Joe Biden's administration and participated in mediation for a truce in the Gaza Strip.
During his confirmation hearing, Ratcliffe expressed concern about the challenging national security environment in the United States today. Furthermore, he emphasized that his role at the head of the agency will be apolitical and that he will not allow partisan interests to interfere with his work.
In contrast to his appointment, the Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, expressed opposition, criticizing Ratcliffe's ability to confront Trump and Tulsi Gabbard, nominated as director of National Intelligence, in case of attempts at falsifying intelligence information.
