Senate Confirms Tulsi Gabbard As Director Of National Intelligence

In a big win for the Trump administration, the U.S. Senate voted Wednesday morning to confirm former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard as the next director of National Intelligence. The final vote was 52-48, with Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., siding with Democrats in opposition.

“Director Gabbard was targeted by the intelligence community for objecting to the corrupt Biden-Harris regime. Now she oversees the weaponized agencies that went after her and other innocent Americans. Accountability is coming, and the American people have long awaited its arrival,” The Heritage Foundation wrote in a Wednesday tweet.

Gabbard’s nomination was advanced to the full Senate for consideration by the Senate Intelligence Committee last week. The committee vote came along partisan lines, with Republicans supporting the Hawaii native and Democrats opposing.

Gabbard’s nomination faced much uncertainty heading into her Jan. 30 committee hearing. A vocal critic of America’s corrupt intel agencies and spy tools weaponized against the public, the former congresswoman was subject to dishonest and disgusting smears from legacy media and anonymous GOP Senate sources seeking to tank her nomination.

During her confirmation hearing, Gabbard faced questions from Democrat and Republican senators about her past statements espousing support for former National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden and criticisms of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The latter has been abused by intel agencies to spy on unsuspecting Americans and Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign.

Throughout her testimony, Gabbard reaffirmed her commitment to upholding the law and spoke about the importance of ending the weaponization of America’s intel apparatus and restoring public trust in these institutions.

“President Trump’s reelection is a clear mandate from the American people to break this cycle of failure, end the weaponization/politicization of the [intel community], and begin to restore trust in those who have been charged with the critical task of securing our nation,” Gabbard said. “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’s committee remarks earned her support from key GOP senators, including Susan Collins of Maine and Todd Young of Indiana. Neither Republican — both of whom serve on the Senate Intelligence Committee — indicated how they would vote on her nomination prior to the Jan. 30 hearing.

Gabbard also earned support from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who was considered to be another swing vote heading into Wednesday’s confirmation. The liberal Alaska Republican revealed her support for Gabbard in a Tuesday X post.

“While I continue to have concerns about certain positions [Gabbard] has previously taken, I appreciate her commitment to rein in the outsized scope of the agency, while still enabling the ODNI to continue its essential function in upholding national security,” Murkowski wrote. “As she brings independent thinking and necessary oversight to her new role, I am counting on her to ensure the safety and civil liberties of American citizens remain rigorously protected.”