Senate votes to confirm Tulsi Gabbard as the top US intelligence officer

Washington-the GOP-controlled Senate early Wednesday morning voted to confirm that Tulsi Gabbard was President Donald Trump’s director of National Intelligence, with the former congregation responsible for the scattered US intelligence community.

Voting of 52-48 was largely along party lines, with almost all Republicans present voting in favor of Gabbard. Senator Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., The former long-time GOP leader who has collided with Trump was the only Republican who joined all Democrats in voting against her.

Gabbard’s confirmation is a victory for Trump and represents yet another example of his dominance over GOP, where few have shown a willingness to go off the line.

After Trump announced Gabbard as his DNI election in November, Democrats and a handful of Republicans expressed concerns about his secret meeting in 2017 with then President Bashar Assad of Syria; Her sympathetic comments about Russia; Her previous efforts to abolish a powerful government surveillance tool, known as section 702 of the Foreign Affairs Consideration Act; And her previous support for Edward Snowden, a former government contractor who leaked classified information to the press about these spying programs.

Before her nomination, Gabbard had claimed that Snowden should be pardoned. But performed for the Senate Intelligence Committee at a confirmation hearing last month, Gabbard returned course and said she would not push that Snowden was pardoned or received drug addict by the GOP senators.

In addition, Gabbard supported his sharp criticism of section 702 during the consultation and called it a “decisive” tool after Congress adopted new protection last year.

In the end, a single Senate Republican did not bow Trump and voted no on Gabbard. Moderate late. Susan Collins, R-Maine, a member of the Intelligence Committee and an important GOP swing reconciliation, was one of the Republicans who had raised concerns about Gabbard but threw her support behind her just days after her confirmation hearing. Collins helped write the 2004 legislation that established the DNI position.

“The Office of the Director of National Intelligence … has become far larger than it was designed to be, and Ms. Gabbard shares my vision of returning the agency to its intended size, ”Collins said in a statement this month. “In response to my questions during our discussion in my office and at the open consultation as well as through her explanation of the closed consultation for the Senate Intelligence Committee, Gabbard approached my concerns about her views on Edward Snowden.”

The Democrats were sharply critical of Gabbard, suggesting that Republicans were more concerned about not angry Trump than national security.

“Instead of speaking the fact and truth, Mrs. Gabbard repeatedly speaks the language of forgeries and conspiracy theories,” said Senate’s minority leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., on the floor on Tuesday. “The director of National Intelligence must be strong against America’s opponents. But Mrs. Gabbard has spent his entire career sympathizing with them like Vladimir Putin and Bashar Al Assad. “

The National Intelligence Director oversees the 18 agencies that constitute the US intelligence community, including the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency. DNI also advises the president on intelligence issues.

Gabbard, 43, an Iraq war veteran, has served for more than two decades in Army Reserve. She had been a longtime Hawaii democrat who served in the State House and in the Honolulu Council. She continued to represent Hawaii in the House of Representatives from 2013 to 2021. After she had unsuccessfully ran for Democratic President nomination in 2020, Gabbard approved Joe Biden over Trump.

But she bought with the Biden administration and left the Democratic Party in 2022. Last October, Gabbard announced that she joined the Republican Party and approved Trump, where he performed with him on the campaign track during the 2024 election.

Senate to vote to promote RFK Jr.’s health secretary bid

The Senate also planned to hold an important procedural vote Wednesday on the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s unorthodox elections for health and human service secretary. If Kennedy can win a simple majority, he could be confirmed by Thursday morning.

Some Republicans have expressed skepticism about Kennedy considering his previous resistance to vaccines and support for abortion. But during a shaky performance on his confirmation hearing last month, Kennedy said he now believes that “vaccines have a critical role in health care.” When asked about his attitude to abortion, he replied, “I agree with President Trump that every abortion is a tragedy,” added that abortion legislation should be left to the states.

Last week, Senator Bill Cassidy, R-LA., A physician and chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, announced a crucial swing voting, his support for RFK Jr. Key immersion from the nominees.

In Cassidy’s words, RFK and Trump committed the administration to “protect the public health benefit of vaccination.” RFK also undertook to have a “close cooperative working relationship” with Cassidy, said the senator, where they will speak several times a month. RFK will also appear for the Auxiliary Committee quarterly if necessary, Cassidy said.