Senate confirms Trump's pick for CIA director

US lawmakers have confirmed another key member of President Donald Trump's national security team, voting to make John Ratcliffe the 25th director of the country's top intelligence agency.

Ratcliffe, who was director of national security at the end of Trump's first term, was sworn in by Vice President J.D. Vance.

Vance called Ratcliffe a "great patriot" and said he was someone who had the president's trust.

Ratcliffe will now lead an intelligence operation that Trump and Republicans have criticized for failing to gather information on critical developments in places like Ukraine, Afghanistan and the Middle East, and for using the information it received to defend the policies of the previous administration.

Members of the Senate Intelligence Committee pressed Ratcliffe during a nomination hearing last week on whether he would fire employees for their political views or opinions about Trump, who has frequently attacked the U.S. intelligence agency and its assessments. Ratcliffe said he would not do so.

He said at his Senate nomination hearing that the CIA should do better and stay ahead of global threats from Russia, China and other American enemies.

Ratcliffe told senators that he would push for the use of artificial intelligence and new chips, but also strengthen the personnel working on intelligence gathering.

"We are not where we should be," he said at a hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee.

He said he sees China as America's biggest foreign policy rival, and that he sees Russia, Iran, North Korea, and drug cartels, hacking gangs, and terrorist organizations as the biggest threats to national security.