Former lawmaker Tulsi Gabbard was confirmed today (Wednesday) after Republican senators supported President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the intelligence community.
With a vote of 52 in favor and 48 against, the vote was split along party lines to confirm Gabbard, who will oversee a community of 18 federal counterintelligence agencies.
This vote marks another victory for President Trump, as his nominees continue to face confirmation battles in the Senate.
Republican Majority Leader in the Senate, John Thune, added to the agenda the confirmation process for Trump’s nominee to head the Department of Health, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., immediately after Gabbard’s confirmation.
The 43-year-old Gabbard, a former member of the Democratic Party, faced questions from senators of both parties regarding her past statements seen as supportive of U.S. adversaries and her lack of experience.
Gabbard has never worked for any intelligence agency nor served on the House Intelligence Committee during her four terms in Congress.
She will now lead an agency created by Congress after the September 11, 2001 attacks to coordinate the vast U.S. counterintelligence apparatus, one of the most important positions in the U.S. government related to national security.
“The selection of the National Intelligence Director is highly significant,” says Emily Harding, Director of the Intelligence, National Security, and Technology Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. She emphasized the broad access this director has to classified materials and the role they play as an advisor to the president on intelligence.
Russia, Syria, and Snowden
Trump’s November announcement of Gabbard’s appointment caused surprise within national security circles, raising concerns about the politicization of intelligence gathering.
Skeptics raised concerns about Gabbard’s previous statements, which were viewed as friendly toward Russian aggression in Ukraine and her defense of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad. Gabbard visited Assad in Syria in 2017 while he was under U.S. sanctions.
During her confirmation hearings, Gabbard was also questioned about her defense of former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden, who illegally leaked thousands of classified documents and later sought asylum in Russia.
Some were clearly angered by her refusal to label Snowden a traitor.
Republicans who had expressed concerns were under increased political pressure from President Trump and his ally, billionaire Elon Musk. Musk had warned that if they did not vote to confirm Gabbard, he would support candidates who would challenge them in future Republican primaries.
Senator Todd Young, a member of the Intelligence Committee, initially withheld his support for Gabbard’s nomination but later issued a statement offering his support before the committee voted in favor of her. The committee voted along party lines with 9 Republican votes and 8 Democratic votes against, sending her nomination to the final vote in the Senate.
The senator, a former U.S. Navy intelligence officer, criticized Musk before supporting Gabbard’s candidacy. Young said that Gabbard assured him she would support intelligence professionals and provide impartial information.
Gabbard’s supporters praised her pledge to reduce the size of her agency, while President Trump is attempting to close entire federal agencies.
Previous nominees for this position have been veterans of the intelligence community and have been confirmed with bipartisan support. Daniel Coats, a former ambassador and Republican senator who served on the Intelligence Committee, was confirmed during Trump’s first term by 85 senators in favor, with 12 senators voting against.
Harding said Gabbard will need to reassure allies that they can trust Washington as Trump pursues an aggressive foreign policy, and be cautious about making cuts amid various global challenges.
Gabbard left the Democratic Party in 2022 and registered as an independent. She later supported Trump and joined the Republican Party in 2024.
/VOA
