Senate Panel Narrowly Approves Trump’s Intel Pick

CBS News reports:

The Senate Intelligence Committee voted to advance Congressman John Ratcliffe’s nomination to be the next director of national intelligence (DNI) on Tuesday morning, setting the stage for a final confirmation vote by the full Senate.

Ratcliffe’s nomination was approved behind closed doors along party lines in a vote of 8 to 7, with all Democrats voting against.

The committee held a confirmation hearing for Ratcliffe earlier this month. Although the Senate Intelligence Committee has been known to work on a more bipartisan basis than other congressional committees, Democrats and Republicans are sharply divided over Ratcliffe’s nomination.

This is Ratcliffe’s second run at the post. The first was torpedoed when it was revealed that he had faked parts of his resume and has no actual counter-terrorism experience. If approved by the full Senate, he’ll replace Acting DNI Richard Grenell.