Divided Senate confirms Trump nominee Ratcliffe to be top U.S. spy

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate backed lawmaker John Ratcliffe on Thursday as the next director of national intelligence, a victory for President Donald Trump in his second bid to install the conservative Republican as head of the intelligence community.

Ratcliffe, a House of Representatives member known for fierce loyalty to Trump, was confirmed by 49 to 44, many more "no" votes than for any previous nominee to be the country's top spy.

The vote was strictly along party lines, with every no from Democrats and every yes from Trump's fellow Republicans.

The vote makes Ratcliffe the first Senate-confirmed nominee for the national security post since August. It most recently has been held by Richard Grenell, Trump's ambassador to Germany, who has faced questions from Congress about bids to declassify classified records and reorganize his office.

https://news.yahoo.com/u-senate-confirms-trump-nominee-164810304.html