US Senate to vote on Trump's pick for intel chief

The US Senate will vote on President Donald Trump's nomination of Congressman John Ratcliffe as the next Director of National Intelligence (DNI) on Thursday.

The Senate, where Republicans have a narrow majority, is expected to approve Ratcliffe for the post, reports Xinhua news agency.

Ratcliffe, 54, was nominated again by Trump in February to be the nation's intel chief, several months after the Texas Republican's first nomination was withdrawn amid bipartisan concerns about his qualification.

First elected to the US Congress, Ratcliffe sits on the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees and was a member of Trump's impeachment defence team.

US Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell is currently the acting DNI.

The Trump administration's first DNI, Dan Coats, left the post in August 2019 after a tenure in which he conflicted with the White House on a number of national security issues.

The DNI serves as the head of the US intelligence community.

( With inputs from IANS )