After the Senate Intelligence Committee narrowly approved it, Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination as director of national intelligence ( DNI ) received more favorable support than any other nominee. All Republicans and Democrats both voted against her.
A whole Senate vote will be prompted by the decision, which will require nearly unanimous Republican support for Gabbard.
Gabbard, a former Democratic lawmaker from Hawaii and 2020 presidential candidate, has sparked controversy due to her previous comments friendly to Russia, her conference with Syria’s previous head Bashar al-Assad, and her army of Edward Snowden, the original NSA company who leaked classified intelligence.
Due to these circumstances, she was chosen as one of the most antagonistic members of US President Donald Trump’s government.
During her controversial confirmation hearing, Gabbard attempted to clarify her position on Snowden, stating that while he “broke the law”, his leaking exposed “illegal and illegal plans” within the US government. However, she avoided directly calling him a thief, despite repeated probing from both Republican and Democratic senators, as per AP.
Some lawmakers expressed concern about Gabbard’s lack of intelligence knowledge and her record of challenging US intelligence agencies as first Democratic support was uncertain.
Nonetheless, a trip force campaign led by Trump supporters, including Elon Musk, helped secure seats. Sen. Todd Young was initially criticized for his stern questions of Gabbard, but Musky afterwards called him an “alley” after Young declared his support, according to The New York Times.
Afterwards, Young explained that he backed her after obtaining written claims that she would hold officials responsible for illegal disclosures and not interfere with discussions about Snowden’s constitutional status. Sen. Susan Collins and other swing voters reacted after Gabbard pledged to reduce the ODNI’s length and transfer it to its original coordination function among intelligence agencies.
Democrats have remained firmly opposed to Gabbard’s election. Sen. Kelly criticized her for accepting “poorly supported” says over intelligence analyses as “dangerous.” Sen Martin Heinrich went further, labelling her a “national safety risk” who “parrots rulers ‘ talking details”, according to The New York Times.
With Republicans holding a small majority in the Senate, Gabbard’s verification is not guaranteed. The whole Senate vote has not yet been scheduled for a date.
