On Wednesday, Senate Republicans voted to confirm Tulsi Gabbard to become the nation’s director of National Intelligence. The director of national intelligence oversees the 18 agencies that make up the U.S. intelligence community, including the Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency. The DNI also advises the president on intelligence matters.

The 52-48 vote was largely along party lines, with nearly all Republicans present voting in favor of Gabbard. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. was the only Republican who joined all Democrats in voting against Gabbard.

McConnell in a statement that he voted against Gabbard’s confirmation as it was apparent she was not prepared for the job and demonstrated a “history of alarming lapses in judgment. The Senate’s power of advice and consent is not an option; it is an obligation, and one we cannot pretend to misunderstand. When a nominee’s record proves them unworthy of the highest public trust, and when their command of relevant policy falls short of the requirements of their office, the Senate should withhold its consent.” (per ABC News).

Gabbard is a former member of Congress representing Hawaii in the House of Representatives from 2013 until 2021. Gabbard also is a former member of the Hawaii Army National Guard and was deployed to Iraq from 2003 to 2005 as a medical specialist. She also completed Alabama Military Academy’s officer training program in 2007. She left the Democratic Party after seeking its nomination for the presidency in 2020, and joined the Republican Party in 2024.

Gabbard’s confirmation is a win for the Trump administration, as Democrats and some Republicans voiced serious concerns about Gabbard – including her secret meeting in 2017 with then-President Bashar Assad of Syria, as well as her sympathetic comments about Russia, and her previous support for Edward Snowden – a former government contractor who leaked classified information to the press about those spying programs.

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