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Senate confirms John Ratcliffe as next director of national intelligence

by Susan Ferrechio

May 21, 2020 12:44 PM

 

The Senate Thursday confirmed Rep. John Ratcliffe to serve as President Trump’s director of national intelligence.

The party-line vote of 49-44 clears the way for the Texas Republican to replace acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell.

“John Ratcliffe will lead the Intelligence Community in countering threats from great powers, rogue nations, and terrorists and ensuring that work is untainted by political bias,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said ahead of the vote.

Ratcliffe won approval from the Senate Intelligence Committee in a secret party-line vote on Wednesday.

“Rep. Ratcliffe understands his top responsibility is to make sure the wide array of intelligence agencies are sharing information across lines, coordinating capabilities, and are all working in the furtherance of the same strategic aim of the 21st century,” Intelligence Committee Chairman Marco Rubio said during Ratcliffe’s confirmation hearing earlier this month.

Trump first nominated Ratcliffe for the role last summer but withdrew his name after lawmakers questioned his readiness for the job and whether he inflated his resume.

Trump renominated Ratcliffe in February.

Ratcliffe is a member of the House Intelligence Committee and played a key roll defending Trump during the impeachment inquiry run by intelligence panel Democrats. Ratcliffe served as a member of Trump’s impeachment team, providing daily briefings to reporters that countered the Democratic message that Trump was guilty of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

Democrats opposed Ratcliffe and questioned whether he would act independently of Trump. Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon criticized Ratcliffe for failing to agree with an intelligence assessment that Russians interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump.

“All that matters is that he makes Donald Trump happy,” Wyden said Thursday. “And if Donald Trump doesn't want to acknowledge that the Russians helped him, then those are John Ratcliffe's marching orders. It is the exact opposite of speaking truth to power.”

New evidence has emerged that Obama-era intelligence officials concealed evidence that the Russians were trying to aid Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential bid, Fox News has reported.

Ratcliffe will be the first permanent DNI since the exit of Dan Coats, a former senator from Indiana who was widely respected by lawmakers in both parties and viewed as an independent DNI who was unafraid of challenging the president.

Ratcliffe was elected to the House in 2014 and represents the south-central region of the state.

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