The Senate voted overwhelmingly to confirm former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe to lead the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate confirmed former Texas Congressman John Ratcliffe to serve as the next director of the CIA on Thursday.

Ratcliffe, 59, is the first person to have served as both director of national intelligence and chief of the CIA.

A former federal prosecutor and Texas Republican, Ratcliffe gained prominence as a congressman as a staunch defender of Trump.

The Senate on Thursday confirmed John Ratcliffe as CIA director, giving President Trump the second member of his new Cabinet. Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during Trump’s first term and is the first person to have held that position and the top post at the CIA,

Senate Majority Leader John Thune had called out Democratic Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy for delaying the vote on a “key national security position.”

The agency said it has “low confidence” in its judgment and that it would continue evaluating new intelligence reporting.

The CIA admits it has "low confidence" in its conclusion and says both a natural origin and a research-related incident are still possible. HealthDay News — After years of speculation, the CIA has weighed in yet again: A lab leak is now considered the likely origin of the COVID pandemic.

Ratcliffe, the former director of national intelligence in the final months of Trump’s first term, drew controversy over perceived politicization of intelligence assessments.

U.S. lawmakers confirmed a second key member of President Donald Trump’s national security team Thursday, voting 74-25 to make John Ratcliffe the 25th director of the country’s premier spy agency.

The Senate on Thursday confirmed John Ratcliffe as CIA director, President Donald Trump's nominee to lead America's premier spy agency and his second nominee to win Senate approval. Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during Trump’s first term and is the first person to have held that position and the top post at the