On Thursday, the United States Senate voted to confirm former Rep. GOP representative and former Director of National Intelligence under Trump 1.0 John Ratcliffe (R-TX) as the next Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. The final vote tally by voice vote was 74 in favor and 25 against. Mr. Ratcliffe has now been officially confirmed as Director of the CIA. The one Senator who did not vote, for reasons as yet unknown, was John Fetterman (D-PA). As of this writing, the formal roll call tally has not yet been released. 

On Tuesday, President Trump said about John Ratcliffe:

Trump touted Ratcliffe’s loyalty Tuesday, saying in his announcement:“From exposing fake Russian collusion to be a Clinton campaign operation, to catching the FBI’s abuse of Civil Liberties at the FISA Court, John Ratcliffe has always been a warrior for Truth and Honesty with the American Public.”

A CIA official told CNN on Tuesday that the agency is “committed to ensuring a smooth transition.”

During his confirmation hearings, Mr. Ratcliffe vowed to return the CIA to its core mission of intelligence-gathering:

Testifying last week before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Ratcliffe said he's devoted his professional life to national security "for roughly a quarter of a century." And he promised that if confirmed, he would focus on "setting and communicating priorities and demanding relentless execution."

He pledged that if was confirmed, the CIA would be rededicated to its intelligence-gathering mission.

"We will collect intelligence — especially human intelligence — in every corner of the globe, no matter how dark or difficult," Ratcliffe said.

With this vote, now-Director Ratcliffe can begin doing just that. Ratcliffe has also stated that he views China as America's primary geopolitical rival and has vowed to pursue intelligence-gathering not only on America's rivals but also on terror groups, drug cartels, and other criminal organizations.

Previously on RedState: Senate Gets to Work: Votes Several Trump Nominees Out of Committee (Updated)

RedState Weekly Briefing: ActBlue Blues and KJP Reviews, As Ratcliffe Twists the Screws

Senate Democrats tried to slow-walk the vote with procedural games:

Senate Democrats slowed Ratcliffe's confirmation after his nomination advanced out of committee earlier this week, forcing procedural maneuvers to extend consideration of his nomination in recent days. Still, Ratcliffe's nomination was advanced with wide margins in a 72-26 procedural vote Thursday morning.

Sen. John Barrasso, the Republican whip, celebrated that the Senate was poised to confirm Ratcliffe's nomination, calling it "a win for our national security," while noting that it "should have been done two days ago."

"But Democrats unnecessarily delayed this important vote," Barrasso continued. "John Ratcliffe is undeniably qualified for the job, he's going to lead the CIA without bias, and with the safety of the American people being his priority."

Mr. Ratcliffe served in President Trump's first term, from May 2020 to the end of the president's term in 2021, as Director of National Intelligence. Before this, Mr. Ratcliffe served two terms in the House of Representatives representing Texas's 4th Congressional District following service as United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas.

This follows the confirmation of former Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) as Secretary of State. More confirmation votes are expected before Trump's first week ends. Stay tuned.