The Senate voted to confirm Tulsi Gabbard as the best American intelligence officer in the country, despite the fact that some legislators complain the alarm about her earlier actions.
Gabbard was considered one of the most controversial nominees of President Donald Trump when he called her his choice for director of National Intelligence.
The Senate voted 52 – 48 to confirm Gabbard to become the next DNI. The old former Republican leader Mitch McConnell in particular voted against the appointment of Gabbard for the role. He was the only republican 'no' voice about her confirmation.
Democrats took its opinion to the prior confirmation of the Senate and aroused doubts about her ability to keep information safe.
“Every Democrat, I am really proud to say, will oppose this terrible nomination, because we simply cannot, in a good conscience, be able to trust our most classified secrets on someone who can reflect Russian propaganda and falls for conspiracy theories,” ” Senaatdemocrat leader Chuck Schumer Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., proclaimed on the floor just before the Gabbard mounting voice.
Schumer also noticed how Gabbard 'said that things such as the invasion of Ukraine were caused by the United States, not by Putin' and denied former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad's use of chemical weapons despite all the intelligence. '
Although Gabbard has prevented those comments, saying Putin is the culprit for starting the Ukraine-Russia war and the admission of Assad committed horrible acts.
They also wondered if allies would share intelligence with the US if they were in charge of the 18 agencies and organizations that form the intelligence community.
Tulsi Gabbard during her confirmation hearing for the Senate Information Committee on January 30, 2025
McConnell, who chose to vote against Gabbard at every democrat, published a destructive statement in which he explained his voice against her confirmation.
“The office of the director of National Intelligence (ODNI) is an important participant in the process that every important decision of national security that the president takes,” wrote the Republican of Kentucky. “The ODNI uses a considerable authority on how the intelligence community assigns its resources, performs its collection and analysis and manages the classification and declassification of the most sensitive secrets of our nation.”
“In my assessment, Tulsi Gabbard has not shown that she is willing to adopt this great National Trust,” McConnell shared.
The final vote came after Gabbard, a former Democratic legislators and lieutenant Kolonel in the US Army Reserve, had favorably moved its nomination from the Senate Senate committee last week.
Several Republican legislators who had expressed concern about her earlier comments eventually came to the end and voted to promote her nomination.
But the path of Gabbard to become the American main ignition officer stood for a bumpy road before she squeaked through it.
On January 30, she was placed under the microscope with a brutal grill of Republican and Democratic senators in the Senate Influencing Committee where she clashed with senators on both sides of the aisle.
The laws took the problems whether she still believed that Edward Snowden should receive a grace after leaking very classified information.
They also expressed their concern about her comments that NATO blamed when Russia invaded Ukraine and with her meeting in 2017 with the then Syrian dictator Bashar Al-Assad.
Even on the way to the committee's voice last week, the confirmation of Gabbard was not insured, because Senator Todd Young refused to say how he was planning to vote over her nomination until the last hours.
During her confirmation hearing, he seemed irritated that Gabbard Edward Snowden would not call a traitor.
Eventually Young voted yes on Gabbard after having received extra security from her, coordinating with vice president JD Vance and even a short phone call with President Donald Trump.
Young described the call with the president as “very positive” and said that Trump told him to “vote for his conscience.”
Gabbard hugs her husband Abraham Williams while she arrives to testify during her confirmation hearing on January 30
Two other senators also indicated that they would vote for the candidate after they had not indicated how they leaned for the voice of the committee along party lines.
Senator James Lankford (R-Oklahoma) said he was a yes on Gabbard after he had spoken directly to her.
Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) released a long statement before moving to the committee's gabbard.
Collins said that Gabbard approached her concerns about her views on Snowden and that she was looking forward to working with her.
On Monday, when the entire Senate took a procedural vote to promote its appointment, Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La.) Announced that he would trust Trump's decision to choose Gabbard as his point person about foreign information.
Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) also noted that she continues to worry about the earlier functions of Gabbard, but supported her.
“I appreciate her dedication to control the great scope of the agency, while she still enables the ODNI to continue his essential function when maintaining national security,” wrote Murkowski.
Gabbard reached the procedural obstacle on Monday evening with the vote along festive lines.
The nomination of Gabbard for DNI was coming from the Senate Committee of the Intelligence Service last week with a vote along festive lines
Gabbard, a former Democrat, who campaigns with Trump during an event in Wisconsin in August 2024
Gabbard with her husband Abraham Williams
In the end, the committee was favorable for her nine to eight to free up the path for what was once considered one of the most difficult nominees of Trump to be confirmed.
Her confirmation indicates that each of the nominees of the Trump cabinet level will be approved by Republicans in the Senate, even if a few Gop members vote against them.
Gabbard served as a democratic legislator from Hawaii from 2013 to 2021. She previously served in the state legislator and deployed in Iraq in 2004 at the Hawaii Army National Guard.
She walked like a democrat in the Democratic Presidential Primary 2020, where she had a loyal group of supporters, but never broke out like a top candidate.
Gabbard left the Democratic Party to become independent in 2022 before he joined the Republican Party last year.
At that time there was even her as his current partner before he settled in Vance in July. Gabbard endorsed Trump for President the following month.
