Mr. Ratcliffe was known as a loyalist to the president when he served as director of national intelligence in the final year of the first Trump administration. During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee last week, he promised to lead a more aggressive spy agency.

Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Pentagon, faces a key procedural hurdle in the Senate on Thursday on advancing his nomination. The vote will occur after lawmakers consider the nomination of John Ratcliffe for CIA director.

Two Republicans, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, broke ranks to oppose Hegseth.

Three Republicans voted with every Democrat against Trump’s controversial pick to lead the Pentagon, forcing Vance to step in and put Hegseth over the top.

The US Senate confirmed John Ratcliffe as director of the CIA on Thursday. Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during President Trump's first term The US Senate confirmed John ...

John Ratcliffe was sworn in as the 25th Director of the Central Intelligence Agency according to a press release on January 23, 2025. Vice President JD Vance administered the official oath of office in a ceremony at the White House. Director Ratcliffe is ...

The US Senate confirmed John Ratcliffe today as the Director of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Ratcliffe becomes the first person in US history to hold both positions of Director of National ...

The Senate confirmed John Ratcliffe as CIA director, making him President Trump's second cabinet member. Ratcliffe plans to enhance the CIA's use of technology to counter threats like Russia and ...

FILE - Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe waits to board Marine One with President Donald Trump on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Dec. 12, 2020. (AP Photo/Patrick ...

John Ratcliffe, the new Central Intelligence Agency director, said President Trump wants to keep politics “out of the intelligence community.” Ratcliffe joined Fox News’s “Sunday Morning ...

The US Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump's nominee John Ratcliffe as director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), making him the second Cabinet member of Trump's administration.

A Princeton and Harvard-educated former combat veteran, Hegseth went on to make a career at Fox News, where he hosted a weekend show. Trump tapped him as the defense secretary to lead an organization with nearly 2.1 million service members, about 780,000 civilians and a budget of $850 billion.