WASHINGTON: The US Senate on Wednesday confirmed former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence in a narrow 52-48 vote.
The Republican-led majority backed her nomination, though former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell joined Democrats in voting against her confirmation.
Her nomination process was bumpy, and at times she seemed at risk of losing valuable Republican votes, mostly because of inexperience in intelligence.
Gabbar’s confirmation marks another cabinet victory for Trump as the Senate is swiftly moving to confirm his remaining nominees.
She cleared a crucial hurdle on Monday when Senate Republicans united to invoke cloture, a procedural step to advance toward a final vote.
This initiated a 30-hour debate period. Democrats have been using the entire 30 hours to protest Trump’s nominees and policies on the Senate floor. As a result, the full chamber couldn’t vote on Gabbard’s confirmation until the early hours of Wednesday morning.
After her approval, Senate Republicans are expected to invoke cloture on another pick, Robert F Kennedy, Jr, for health secretary. The final vote on his nomination, then, would come early Thursday.
Gabbard to oversee 18 intelligence agencies
As director, Gabbard will oversee 18 intelligence agencies including the CIA, FBI, and National Security Agency (NSA), and manage a budget of more than $70bn (£55bn).
Gabbard faced a tough hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee at the end of January where committee members grilled her on past comments about government whistleblower Edward Snowden and her links with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syria’s former president Bashar al-Assad.
During a tense exchange, lawmakers repeatedly pressed Gabbard to clarify whether she viewed Snowden—who leaked classified documents revealing that the US was engaged in illegal surveillance—as a traitor. Gabbard had previously described him as “brave” and argued that he should be pardoned for his actions.
She refused to give a “yes” or “no” answer, raising scepticism among some Republicans. But it wasn’t enough to deter their votes. She later passed a committee vote along party lines.
After her failed bid for president in the 2020 election, Gabbard became one of Trump’s most loyal supporters. She quit the Democratic party in 2022 and registered as an independent, and then became a contributor on Fox News where she was an outspoken Trump supporter.
She endorsed Trump several months before the election and officially joined the Republican party last October.
