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Senate Committee Approves Ratcliffe as Intelligence Director, Setting up Confirmation Vote

The Senate Intelligence Committee approved President Trump’s appointment of Representative John Ratcliffe (R., Texas) as national intelligence director in a straight party-line vote Tuesday, setting up a confirmation vote on the Senate floor. The closed-door vote finished 8-7 in favor of Republicans. Ratcliffe, a close Trump ally, was initially chosen by the president to replace …

The Senate Intelligence Committee approved President Trump’s appointment of Representative John Ratcliffe (R., Texas) as national intelligence director in a straight party-line vote Tuesday, setting up a confirmation vote on the Senate floor.

The closed-door vote finished 8-7 in favor of Republicans. Ratcliffe, a close Trump ally, was initially chosen by the president to replace Dan Coats last year, but was withdrawn after Senate Republicans expressed doubt over his credentials. “I think there were many of the same concerns that were raised when he first came up in August,” Senate Intelligence Committee vice chairman Mark Warner (D., Va.) said after the vote Tuesday. But Republicans on the committee — now led by Senator Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) — backed the nomination the second time around.

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