Senate Confirms John Ratcliffe to Lead CIA, Giving Trump His Second Cabinet Member

We’re not where we’re supposed to be,

Ratcliffe told members of the Senate Intelligence Committee

Ratcliffe really is focused on that human intelligence aspect and also a reorientation toward what he sees as the biggest national security threat, which is China,

McBrien said

Ron Wydendemocrat

I want the record to show that I strongly oppose the nomination,

Democrat Ron Wyden said Tuesday

Tom Cottonsenate Republican Conference Chairman

Our world is far too dangerous for any delay in having a Senate-confirmed leader in charge of the CIA,

Senators Tom Cotton and Mark Warner said in a statement Monday, after their committee advanced Ratcliffe by a 14-3 margin

There was criticism throughout the hearing that the CIA has gone soft on collecting human intelligence, on stealing foreign adversary secrets,

Tyler McBrien, the managing editor of Lawfare, told VOA

John Thunesenate Majority Leader

Under the Biden administration, the intelligence community made some notable misses,

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican, told fellow lawmakers Tuesday, citing failures to anticipate the rapid collapse of the U.S.-supported Afghan government in 2021 and the incorrect predictions that Russian forces would quickly overrun Ukrainian defenses at the start of the Kremlin’s invasion

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

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

There may be no agency more important than the CIA that has to be fact-based. Sometimes, these facts will lead to inconvenient conclusions for his superiors and the president,

he said

In 2020, I opposed his confirmation to be director of national intelligence because I believe his partisanship and willingness essentially went to the proposition of doing what would please Donald Trump,

he said

I will respectfully vote no, not because of our political difference, which of course exists, but because I am deeply worried that Mr. Ratcliffe will be unable to stand up to people like Donald Trump and Tulsi Gabbard, who are known to falsify intelligence,

he said

Democrats and Republicans, in a very big bipartisan fashion, agree that he is very qualified for this job,

Thune said,

Chuck Schumersenate Minority Leader

Look, there are some nominees like [Secretary of State Marco] Rubio that got broad support, but a detailed discussion – I have some doubts about Mr. Ratcliffe, particularly when I asked him how he'd react if Tulsi Gabbard were put in charge of him in the DNI,

Schumer said, referring to Trump's pick to lead the Office of National Intelligence

For a day or two, or a few hours to examine these nominees who have such power thoroughly, absolutely,

he added

I suspect Ratcliffe is going to come in like a wrecking ball to the woke deep staters,

said a source familiar with his plans

If you look at my record and my record as DNI, that never took place,

Ratcliffe responded

Chuck Grassleysenate Judiciary Chairman

Isn’t age just a number?”

It’s not Grassley’s first time in this chair, and the Iowan rhetorically asked in an interview

There’s nothing new here and we look forward to the confirmation vote,

Tim Parlatore, Pete Hegseth’s lawyer, told CNN

He drinks more often than he doesn’t.”

One source familiar with the statement said Samantha Hegseth told the FBI

And so really, I think the question before the House is, do we want a vote on these folks on Tuesday or vote on them on Friday, Saturday and Sunday? Because that's what we're going to do,

he said, threatening weekend votes in the upper chamber