Rubio, Ratcliffe hearings give glimpse into how they would carry out Trump’s agenda

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• Geoff Bennett:

  President-elect Donald Trump is still several days from reentering the Oval Office, but some of his nominees for Cabinet posts were in Senate committees for one of the busiest days of confirmation hearings in U.S. history.

  From the nation's top diplomatic post to a top spy to the country's top law enforcement officer, the hearings ran the gamut from cordial to confrontational.

• Amna Nawaz:

  We start with president-elect Trump's picks for secretary of state and director of the CIA.

  Florida Senator Marco Rubio would helm the State Department, and former Congressman John Ratcliffe would run the CIA. They went before senators on the Foreign Relations and Intelligence committees this morning.

  (Shouting)

• Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL):

  I get bilingual protesters, which is I think is…

  (Laughter)

• Man:

  As you know, that's a first here for us, at least in recent times.

• Amna Nawaz:

  President-elect Donald Trump's choice for U.S. secretary of state, Senator Marco Rubio, sailed relatively smoothly through his nomination hearing before the Foreign Relations Committee on which he served for 14 years.

• Man:

  Sir, welcome to the other side of the dais.

• Sen. Marco Rubio:

  On May 27 in 1956 from Cuba.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Born to immigrant parents from Cuba, Rubio would be the first person of Hispanic origin to serve as the top U.S. diplomat.

• Sen. Marco Rubio:

  I had the privilege to be born a citizen of the greatest nation in the history of mankind and to be raised in a safe and stable home.

• Amna Nawaz:

  And home, he promised, would be the focus, a robust America first foreign policy.

• Sen. Marco Rubio:

  President Trump returns to office with an unmistakable mandate, a strong America engaged in the world, but guided by a clear objective, to promote peace abroad and security and prosperity here at home.

• Amna Nawaz:

  In the past, Trump and Rubio have clashed.

  Donald Trump, Former President of the United States (R) and Current U.S. President-Elect: Just I call him little Marco. That's what he is. He's little Marco.

• Sen. Marco Rubio:

  Donald Trump is a con artist.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Over time, they found common ground. A past supporter of aid for Ukraine, Rubio voted against last year's supplemental, saying it didn't do enough on southern border security.

  Democrat and Ranking Committee Member Senator Jeanne Shaheen asked him about that shift.

• Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH):

  Can you talk about how your views on Ukraine have developed and where you are now?

• Sen. Marco Rubio:

  Once this war became what we now know it is, and that is a war of attrition, a stalemate, a protracted conflict, the dynamic on that situation has changed.

• Amna Nawaz:

  The Biden administration has sent Ukraine more than $60 billion in military aid, vowing to continue that support — quote — "as long as it takes." Rubio said that has to change.

• Sen. Marco Rubio:

  That is not a realistic or prudent position. I think it should be the official position of the United States that this war should be brought to an end.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Rubio also said sanctions on Russia could expand and that Ukraine could get a long-term security guarantee, but did not pledge continued weapon support from the U.S. under a new Trump administration.

  Mid-hearing, major news in the Middle East.

• Sen. James Risch (R-ID):

  There's been a cease-fire announced in Gaza.

• Amna Nawaz:

  And Rubio reaffirmed that their top priority with this deal and going forward is bringing back hostages when asked by Republican Senator Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania.

• Sen. David McCormick (R-PA):

  Do you agree that a permanent cease-fire in Gaza must include, absolutely must include the release of those hostages?

• Sen. Marco Rubio:

  Hamas has been severely degraded, but these people that include a number of American citizens need to be home as soon as possible.

• Amna Nawaz:

  But it was China, where Rubio has long pressed the U.S. to take a stronger stance, that he insisted remains America's most potent adversary.

• Sen. Marco Rubio:

  If we stay on the road we're on right now, in less than 10 years, virtually everything that matters to us in life will depend on whether China will allow us to have it or not.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Also today, Trump's pick for the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, John Ratcliffe, faced questions from the Senate Intelligence Committee.

  Democrat Mark Warner of Virginia asked about the potential for political retribution.

• Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA):

  What assurances can you provide to this committee and to the CIA work force that you will resist efforts to fire or force out career CIA employees because of their perceived political views or somehow their views of loyalty to the president?

• John Ratcliffe, CIA Director Nominee:

  Well, I think the best example of that, Mr. Vice Chairman, if you look at my record and my record as DNI. That never took place. That is never something anyone has alleged and it's something that I would never do.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Ratcliffe himself has been accused of releasing unverified Russian intelligence in a letter to a senator on the day of the 2020 presidential debate while he served as director of national intelligence.

  Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia.

• Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA):

  My purpose here is not to suggest some kind of political intent, but you have made it very clear that avoiding the politicization of the intelligence community's activities is a high priority for you. Is that correct?

• John Ratcliffe:

  Correct.

• Sen. Jon Ossoff:

  It strikes me that releasing politically sensitive intelligence, that you would think carefully about the timing of that.

• John Ratcliffe:

  You're correct. It was my decision, but it wasn't my process.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Both Ratcliffe and Rubio are expected to be confirmed and start in their roles next week, leading the next chapter of American intelligence and foreign policy.