Tulsi Gabbard confirmed and sworn in as director of national intelligence
Washington — The Senate voted to confirm Tulsi Gabbard as the director of national intelligence Wednesday, ending weeks of skepticism surrounding her once-embattled confirmation and installing her as the leader of the U.S. intelligence community.
In a 52 to 48 vote, the Senate confirmed Gabbard's nomination, with one Republican — Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky — joining Democrats in opposing her. McConnell said that Gabbard "failed to demonstrate" that she was prepared for the role.
Gabbard was sworn in to the role during a ceremony at the White House later in the day, where President Trump said "there's nobody like her for this job." Gabbard said she looks forward to "being able to help fulfill that mandate that the American people delivered to you very clearly in this election, to refocus our intelligence community by empowering the great patriots who have chosen to serve our country."
Gabbard was previously seen as one of the most unlikely of Mr. Trump's picks to get through the Senate. Though she served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, Gabbard doesn't have a background in intelligence. And she faced scrutiny for meeting with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in 2017, as well as her comments about Russia's war in Ukraine, her previous opposition to renewing a key government surveillance authority and a push to pardon National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden.
During her hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee last month, Gabbard was grilled by both Democrats and Republicans on many of the actions and positions that have sparked controversy, with the most contentious moments of the hearing surrounding whether she would characterize Snowden as a "traitor." Gabbard declined to say so.
But as the committee prepared to hold a vote on whether to advance Gabbard's nomination last week, GOP opposition fell by the wayside. Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Todd Young of Indiana both pledged to back Gabbard, and her nomination eked through with a 9-8 vote along party lines to recommend her confirmation.
The full Senate went on to advance Gabbard's nomination 52-46 in a party-line procedural vote Monday night, though Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania did not vote. The vote started the clock on up to 30 hours of debate before a vote on final passage, setting up a vote on final passage in the wee hours of the morning Wednesday that was pushed back until later Wednesday amid snowy conditions in Washington.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune praised Gabbard ahead of the procedural vote Monday, calling her "a patriot" who is "motivated by service."
"The intelligence community needs to refocus on its core mission — collecting intelligence and providing unbiased analysis of that information," Thune said. "That's what Tulsi Gabbard is committed to ensuring if she is confirmed to be DNI. And I believe she has the knowledge and leadership capabilities to get it done."
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer lambasted Republicans for backing Gabbard, claiming they're doing so because Mr. Trump is "strong-arming them into submission."
"By now, there is no question about whether or not Miss Gabbard is qualified to lead America's intelligence agencies," Schumer said. "By every objective measure she is not."
In a statement explaining why he voted against Gabbard, McConnell, the former longtime GOP leader, said the country "should not have to worry that the intelligence assessments the President receives are tainted by a Director of National Intelligence with a history of alarming lapses in judgment." He pointed to Gabbard's comments about Snowden, China, Russia and U.S. intelligence collection methods as the reasons for his opposition.
"The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) is a key participant in the process that informs every major national security decision the President makes. The ODNI wields significant authority over how the intelligence community allocates its resources, conducts its collection and analysis, and manages the classification and declassification of our nation's most sensitive secrets," McConnell said. "In my assessment, Tulsi Gabbard failed to demonstrate that she is prepared to assume this tremendous national trust."
At her confirmation hearing, Gabbard defended her qualifications, citing her experience as a battalion commander and service on the Homeland Security, Foreign Affairs and Armed Services Committees in Congress. That experience, she said, has "given me a deep understanding of the complex challenges that our nation faces."
"In both roles engaging with world leaders, in both roles being privy to highly classified intelligence," Gabbard said. "So I know first hand how essential accurate, unbiased and timely intelligence is to the president, to Congress and to our warfighters. I also know the heavy cost of intelligence failures and abuses."
Gabbard argued that "for too long, faulty, inadequate or weaponized intelligence have led to costly failures, and the undermining of our national security and god-given freedoms enshrined in the Constitution," adding that Mr. Trump's victory in the 2024 election is "a clear mandate from the American people to break this cycle of failure."
"If confirmed as DNI, I will do my very best to fulfill this mandate, and bring leadership to the intelligence community with a laser-like focus on our essential mission — ensuring the safety, security and freedom of the American people," Gabbard said.
