Ratcliffe confirmed as next national intelligence director with narrowest approval vote in position's history

Rep. John Ratcliffe testifies for the Senate.
(Image credit: ANDREW HARNIK/POOL/AFP via Getty Image)

Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) has won the Senate's approval to become the next director of national intelligence — barely.

The Senate voted 49-44 to approve President Trump's nominee for the position, along party lines, with several senators not voting. That means Ratcliffe ended up with the smallest number of approval votes in the DNI position's 15-year history, The Washington Post notes.

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Kathryn Krawczyk

Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.