CIA Director Confirmation Complete
A significant 74-25 majority in the US Senate has endorsed President Trump’s nomination of John Ratcliffe for the position of CIA director. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
A majority of the US Senate endorsed President Donald Trump’s choice for director of the CIA, former National Intelligence Director John Ratcliffe, on Thursday.
The Senate confirmed Ratcliffe with a vote of 74 in favor and 25 against, supported by 20 Democrats and one Independent alongside the Republicans.
The Republican-led Senate has commenced confirming President Trump's nominees for significant positions within his administration, starting with the national security team. Former Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican, was confirmed on Monday, coinciding with Trump's inauguration. On Thursday, Senate leaders planned a procedural vote for Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News commentator and Trump's nominee for Secretary of Defense.
Ratcliffe previously represented Texas’ 4th congressional district and held the role of director of national intelligence during Trump’s first term. He is noted for his outspoken skepticism of intelligence agencies and his critiques of inquiries into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election.
In his prior position, Ratcliffe was recognized for aligning with Trump’s views on numerous national security issues and became involved in prominent controversies over intelligence assessments.
During his nomination hearing last week, Ratcliffe expressed confidence that the US can effectively counter threats from Russia and China, and he also committed to investigating whether US personnel affected by the so-called Havana Syndrome—a purported ailment impacting diplomats—were targeted by an adversary.
The symptoms of this syndrome were first reported among US embassy staff in Cuba in 2016 and include headaches, dizziness, nausea, hearing loss, memory issues, and difficulties with concentration. Since then, similar cases have been reported in China, Russia, South America, Australia, and other locations, with over 1,500 suspected instances documented worldwide.
Although the US government has not established a definitive cause for the alleged condition, a January report from the National Intelligence Council indicated that five intelligence agencies consider it “very unlikely” a foreign adversary was responsible for the incidents. However, two unnamed agencies posited that there is a “roughly even chance” that a foreign actor could have used a novel weapon to target US diplomats abroad.
Moscow has categorically rejected any assertions linking it to the condition, dismissing them as “unsubstantiated media allegations.”
In related developments, Trump has selected former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence. Gabbard, a former Democrat who switched to the Republican Party in 2024, served with the US Army in Iraq and Kuwait in the 2000s and was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the National Guard in 2021.
She represented Hawaii in Congress from 2013 to 2021. During her 2020 campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, she portrayed herself as an antiwar candidate, opposing US military involvement in Iraq and Syria.
Anna Muller contributed to this report for TROIB News
The Senate confirmed Ratcliffe with a vote of 74 in favor and 25 against, supported by 20 Democrats and one Independent alongside the Republicans.
The Republican-led Senate has commenced confirming President Trump's nominees for significant positions within his administration, starting with the national security team. Former Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican, was confirmed on Monday, coinciding with Trump's inauguration. On Thursday, Senate leaders planned a procedural vote for Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News commentator and Trump's nominee for Secretary of Defense.
Ratcliffe previously represented Texas’ 4th congressional district and held the role of director of national intelligence during Trump’s first term. He is noted for his outspoken skepticism of intelligence agencies and his critiques of inquiries into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election.
In his prior position, Ratcliffe was recognized for aligning with Trump’s views on numerous national security issues and became involved in prominent controversies over intelligence assessments.
During his nomination hearing last week, Ratcliffe expressed confidence that the US can effectively counter threats from Russia and China, and he also committed to investigating whether US personnel affected by the so-called Havana Syndrome—a purported ailment impacting diplomats—were targeted by an adversary.
The symptoms of this syndrome were first reported among US embassy staff in Cuba in 2016 and include headaches, dizziness, nausea, hearing loss, memory issues, and difficulties with concentration. Since then, similar cases have been reported in China, Russia, South America, Australia, and other locations, with over 1,500 suspected instances documented worldwide.
Although the US government has not established a definitive cause for the alleged condition, a January report from the National Intelligence Council indicated that five intelligence agencies consider it “very unlikely” a foreign adversary was responsible for the incidents. However, two unnamed agencies posited that there is a “roughly even chance” that a foreign actor could have used a novel weapon to target US diplomats abroad.
Moscow has categorically rejected any assertions linking it to the condition, dismissing them as “unsubstantiated media allegations.”
In related developments, Trump has selected former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence. Gabbard, a former Democrat who switched to the Republican Party in 2024, served with the US Army in Iraq and Kuwait in the 2000s and was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the National Guard in 2021.
She represented Hawaii in Congress from 2013 to 2021. During her 2020 campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, she portrayed herself as an antiwar candidate, opposing US military involvement in Iraq and Syria.
Anna Muller contributed to this report for TROIB News
