Key Senators So Far Silent On John Ratcliffe, Trump's Pick For New Top Spy

"The U.S. intelligence community works best when it is led by professionals who protect its work from political or analytical bias and who deliver unvarnished hard truths to political leaders in both the executive and legislative branches," McConnell said. "Very often the news these briefings bring is unpleasant, but it is essential that we be confronted with the facts."

One question raised by McConnell's statement: Would Ratcliffe be so much of a loyalist that he would tell Trump only what he wanted to hear — and Congress and the public what Trump wanted them to hear? Or could he be the honest manager that the Senate majority leader says is needed?