Former CIA Director John Ratcliffe sparked controversy after making a statement suggesting that COVID-19 may have originated in a lab in China. His remarks have ignited a wave of shock and debate across the U.

Shortly after John Ratcliffe was sworn in as the CIA’s new director, the agency shifted its view on the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.

WASHINGTON — The Senate voted Thursday to confirm John Ratcliffe as the next CIA director, approving the second high-level appointment for the new Trump administration.

The Senate overwhelmingly confirmed John Ratcliffe as director of the Central Intelligence Agency, installing another core member of President Donald Trump’s national security team.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate confirmed former Texas Congressman John Ratcliffe to serve as the next director of the CIA on Thursday.

John Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during Trump's first term and is the first person to have held that position and the top post at the CIA.

Republicans and Democrats praised the former lawmaker and intelligence official, who vowed not to use political loyalty tests at the CIA.

Trump's former director of National Intelligence, John Ratcliffe, is set to have his confirmation hearing as Trump's pick for director of the CIA on Wednesday.

The U.S. Senate is expected to hold a confirmation vote on Tuesday on John Ratcliffe, President Donald Trump's nominee for CIA Director, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said.

Ratcliffe, 59, is the first person to have served as both director of national intelligence and chief of the CIA.

Former Congressman John Ratcliffe is the nation's new CIA director after the Senate voted 74-25 in favor of his confirmation on Thursday.

Ratcliffe, Trump’s former director of national intelligence, sought to reassure senators that he would remain apolitical in his role as CIA director.