A senior administration official and a source familiar with the issue added that there's an active search right now for candidates to assume the acting role and it's unlikely that Deputy Director Sue Gordon will be picked. The search is underway as Ratcliffe goes through the confirmation process.

Should Trump skip over Gordon, it could further the criticism that he is politicizing the intelligence community at the expense of long-serving career professionals.

Sen. Richard Burr, a North Carolina Republican who's the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told CNN he would be "shocked" if Gordon weren't selected as acting director.

"Well, the White house certainly has that ability, but she's more than capable of handling that job," he said. "I would be shocked, because that's what principal deputies are in place for."

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