U.S. lawmakers confirmed a second key member of President Donald Trump’s national security team Thursday, voting 74-25 to make John Ratcliffe the 25th director of the country’s premier spy agency.
Ratcliffe, who served as director of national intelligence at the end of Trump’s first term, took the oath of office about two hours later, as administered by Vice President JD Vance.
Vance called Ratcliffe a “great patriot” and said he is someone who has the trust of the president.
Ratcliffe now will head an intelligence operation that Trump and Republicans have criticized for a failure to cultivate information on critical developments in places like Ukraine, Afghanistan and the Middle East, and for using the information it did get to defend the previous administration’s policies.
Ratcliffe indicated during his confirmation hearing last week that substantial changes would be in store, saying the spy agency would be more aggressive both in collecting human intelligence and in countering U.S. adversaries.
“We will collect intelligence, especially human intelligence, in every corner of the globe no matter how dark or difficult,” he told lawmakers at the time. “We will conduct covert actions at the direction of the president, going places no one else can go and doing things no one else can do.
“To the brave CIA officers listening around the world, if all of this sounds like what you signed up for, then buckle up and get ready to make a difference,” Ratcliffe added. “If it doesn’t, then it’s time to find a new line of work.”
The confirmation vote came three days after Trump took the oath of office and after a plea from the top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee for a speedy vote on Ratcliffe’s nomination to lead the CIA.
