The Senate on Thursday confirmed Rep. John Ratcliffe as President Donald Trump’s top intelligence official, in a move aimed at ending nine months of reshuffling at the top of the nation's spying establishment.

Lawmakers voted 49-44 in a party-line vote to confirm the Republican congressman from Texas as the sixth director of national intelligence since the office was created in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The split was a contrast to the 85-12 vote in 2017 that had confirmed Ratcliffe's predecessor, former Republican Indiana Sen. Dan Coats, and comes amid an escalating feud between Trump and Democrats over the political use of intelligence.

But Ratcliffe's path to the intelligence post was still relatively smooth — this time around. Thursday’s vote came just two days after a divided Senate Intelligence Committee approved his nomination, and well before initial expectations for full chamber consideration sometime after Memorial Day.

Trump had originally picked Ratcliffe for the job in July, after the Texas Republican had put on an aggressive public display in his grilling of former special counsel Robert Mueller. But despite serving on the House Intelligence and Judiciary committees, Ratcliffe was something of a puzzle to key Republican senators, and he soon withdrew his name amid questions about whether he had inflated his resume.

Ratcliffe got a second nod from Trump this year after serving on the president’s impeachment defense team. And by Thursday, even Senate Democrats were eager to see Ratcliffe succeed acting Intelligence Director Richard Grenell, a Trump ally who has used his temporary perch to push organizational changes to the national security apparatus.

Grenell, who is also the U.S. ambassador to Germany, has also provided Congress with newly declassified documents related to the prosecution of former national security adviser Michael Flynn and the FBI’s Russia investigation. Democrats contend that the GOP is politicizing those documents to attack former President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.

In contrast, Ratcliffe had vowed at his confirmation hearing to be independent and deliver unvarnished intelligence assessments to Trump, even if he believed it would risk his job.

Still, Democrats don't seem entirely convinced.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said before the vote that he had asked Ratcliffe earlier this week if he agreed with the intelligence community’s initial January 2017 assessment that Russia had interfered in the last presidential election with the goal of putting Trump in the Oval Office — a finding recently backed the Senate Intelligence Committee.

“He could not confirm it,” Schumer said.

He said he also asked Ratcliffe to brief the congressional “Gang of Eight” every two weeks on election interference and requested that Congress be notified within 72 hours if Russia or another country attempts to interfere in U.S. elections.

“In neither case could he commit,” Schumer said.

After the vote, Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said "nothing would be better than to be proved wrong on" concerns about Ratcliffe's independence and partisan history.

"But time will tell. With Coats, we made that leap, and he ended up being independent. I hope to see the same from Mr. Ratcliffe," Warner told POLITICO.

Republican accolades rolled in after the Senate vote.

In a statement, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who was tapped earlier this week to serve as the acting chairman of the Intelligence panel, said it was "critical to have a Senate-confirmed DNI ensuring the wide array of intelligence agencies are sharing information across lines, coordinating capabilities" and furthering U.S. national security goals.

"Director Ratcliffe understands this responsibility, and I am confident that he will fulfill all of the roles assigned to the DNI with integrity," Rubio added.

Ratcliffe is a "man of character who will bring strength and accountability to the role," House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy wrote in a tweet.

Meanwhile, Grenell tweeted: "Congratulations, @RepRatcliffe ! You will be the best DNI ever! #USA"

Top House committee chairs are demanding that President Donald Trump reinstate the State Department watchdog he ousted at Mike Pompeo's request earlier this month.

In a Thursday letter to Secretary of State Pompeo, the Democrats who lead the Oversight Committee and Foreign Affairs Committee described the ouster of inspector general Steve Linick as "politically motivated" and suggested that Pompeo's role in it appeared meant to undercut Linick's ongoing investigations into his conduct — including his role in a series of lavish taxpayer-funded dinners that reports suggest were largely oriented toward conservatives and with little diplomatic value.

"Any attempt by you or your office to interfere with the Inspector General’s investigation of yourself is illegal and will be thoroughly examined by Congress," Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) write in the letter, also signed by subcommittee chairmen Gerald Connolly (D-Va.) and Joaquin Castro (D-Texas).

The lawmakers are asking Pompeo to provide by June 4 details about his contacts with the White House regarding Linicks' removal, as well as the rationale behind the choice of his temporary replacement, Stephen Akard, who Democrats worry will be a conduit to provide information about Linick's confidential work to agency leaders. The Democrats are also asking Pompeo for guest lists connected to his series of "Madison Dinners," as well as invoices, approvals and ethics decisions regarding the use taxpayer funds on the events.

The lawmakers sent a second letter to Akard, similarly asking him to provide details of his appointment by June 4. They also ask him to catalogue any of the ongoing investigations, audits and reviews Linick was conducting before his removal.

They're also urging Akard to resign from a separate State Department post in which he reports to Pompeo. The dual role, they say, could be used to funnel information from the inspector general's office to the officials being scrutinized, including Pompeo, and that would likely chill whistleblowers from coming forward, the Democrats write.

"This inherent conflict of interest will prohibit you from having the independence necessary to conduct fair and rigorous oversight of the Department and the Secretary," the lawmakers say.

Linick's ouster was the latest in a string of moves by Trump to either remove or fire inspectors general he deems disloyal to his administration. Trump has attacked all of the watchdogs appointed to their posts by President Barack Obama, even though some have worked across administrations of both parties for decades. Trump has relied heavily on acting inspectors general, who are more easily removed from their roles compared to Senate-confirmed appointees, whose ousters require notification to Congress.

Linick is the second Senate-confirmed inspector general removed by Trump in recent months. Trump also abruptly ousted intelligence community watchdog Michael Atkinson, citing his handling of a whistleblower complaint that accused Trump of wrongdoing in his effort to pressure Ukraine to investigate his political rivals. The report, which Atkinson sought to provide to Congress before the Justice Department blocked him, was later made public by the administration and ignited the House's impeachment of the president in December.

Though just two inspectors general have been fired abruptly, Trump has also demoted the watchdog tapped by fellow inspectors general to monitor his administration's handling of the coronavirus response. He also nominated a member of the White House counsel's team to fill a newly created watchdog role for Treasury's $500 billion economic stabilization fund created to bolster the economy amid the pandemic, a move that sparked outcry from Democrats.

Though lawmakers of both parties have urged Trump to nominate permanent inspectors general, Democrats also criticized Trump for picking a replacement for the acting Health and Human Services inspector general, Christi Grimm, who drew Trump's ire when she issued a report cataloging a lack of federal preparedness for the coronavirus crisis.

It's unclear if Democrats will be able to procure any details from the State Department. The House has struggled to obtain information from the State Department in previous efforts, including during its impeachment process, when Pompeo ignored Intelligence Committee subpoenas for documents about the president's efforts regarding Ukraine. Pompeo testified to the House Foreign Affairs Committee earlier this year but faced no questions about Ukraine.

The House voted overwhelmingly to block a resolution to impeach President Trump. It was the first impeachment vote since Democrats took back control this year. Nancy Cordes has the latest.

The House voted overwhelmingly to block a resolution to impeach President Trump. It was the first impeachment vote since Democrats took back control this year. Nancy Cordes has the latest.

Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller appeared before two congressional committees on Wednesday. He mainly stuck to the script laid out in his written report, and sometimes appeared to struggle with questions. He said Russian election interference remains a threat, and emphasized that his investigation did not exonerate the President. Still, Mr. Trump declared victory. Nancy Cordes reports.

Virginia Democratic Senator Mark Warner is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee -- the committee investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election. In his first interview since the Mueller hearings, Warner joins "CBS This Morning" from Washington to discuss why he still doesn't believe that impeachment proceedings should begin, his concerns about foreign election interference and the president's reaction to Mueller's testimony.

On "The Takeout" this week, Major Garrett talks with Rep. Ted Lieu, who questioned former special counsel Robert Mueller during his testimony this week.

House Democrats asked a court for documents from the Mueller investigation. Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler says he needs them for an impeachment inquiry. Nancy Cordes reports.