Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. showed frustration among Democrats on Tuesday after a confirmation vote for President Trump’s pick for CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who has bipartisan support, was blocked.
Speaking on the Senate floor after the vote was blocked by Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Thune said the Senate could remain in session all weekend to confirm Trump’s picks if progress continues to be delayed.
“Do we want to vote on these people on Tuesday or vote on them on Friday, Saturday and Sunday? Because that’s what we’re going to do. This can be easy, but it can also be difficult,” Thune said. ‘This is about America national security interests, and we’re at a standstill, so that’s not going to happen.”
NEW GOP SENATOR TAKES ON DEMS ‘SEEKING TO SLOW DOWN’ PETE HEGSETH DOD CONFIRMATION
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., expressed frustration with Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., after he blocked a confirmation vote Tuesday for John Ratcliffe as CIA director. (Reuters)
Ratcliffe was approved by the Senate Intelligence Committee on a bipartisan vote of 14-3. Therefore, Thune said the vote to confirm him “shouldn’t be difficult.”
“Democrats and Republicans agree in a very major, bipartisan way that he is very qualified for this job,” Thune said, adding that he is not sure what a delay will accomplish.
In blocking the vote, Murphy said many Democrats have “serious concerns” about Ratcliffe’s ability to work as CIA director for “repeatedly politicizing the intelligence community” during his eight months as Director of National Intelligence in 2020.
“I don’t think it’s too much to ask to make sure that we have a full, real debate that lasts two days in the Senate,” Murphy said Tuesday.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said two more days of debate were needed before John Ratcliffe could be confirmed as CIA director because of Democrats’ “serious concerns.” (Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., who leads the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the delay has “no good reason” and is simply an attempt to “get all these nominations out to play procedural games.”
Cotton noted that while Democrats acted similarly in 2017 with Trump’s first administration and Republicans in 2021 with Biden’s picks, this did not happen during confirmation votes prior to the past two elections.
“We need to return to that practice especially when it comes to a very talented, well-qualified integrity candidate like John Ratcliffe,” Cotton said. “Now we’re going to shoot for two days. But like I said, don’t make plans for the weekend. Don’t plan dinner dates starting Thursday night, because we’re going to get these nominees done the easy, collegial way, or apparently the hard way.”
John Ratcliffe served as Director of National Intelligence for eight months during President Trump’s first administration. (Getty Images)
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So far, only one of Trump’s Cabinet nominees has been confirmed, and that was former Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as secretary of state. That was him confirmed on Monday by unanimous vote.
Several nominees have emerged from committee voting, while others are still awaiting confirmation hearings.
