The Senate Intelligence Committee Tuesday advanced the nomination of Rep. John Ratcliffe to serve as the next director of national intelligence.
The closed-door vote was 8-7, with all Republicans in favor and every Democrat voting against the Texas Republican, a Democratic aide to the committee told the Washington Examiner.
The nomination now moves to the Senate floor for a confirmation vote that is likely to take place in the near future. The GOP-majority Senate is expected to confirm Ratcliffe.
While Republicans deemed Ratcliffe well-qualified for the job, Democrats argued that Ratcliffe is too loyal to President Trump and would not run the office independently of the president. Ratcliffe, during his confirmation hearing earlier this month, pledged to act independently.
If confirmed, Ratcliffe will replace acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell.
