Lt. Col. Tulsi Gabbard was confirmed by the United States Senate as the next Director of National Intelligence (DNI) on Wednesday morning as President Donald Trump’s 14th cabinet victory since reentering office.
The former Democrat Hawaii congresswoman received a 52-48 vote, with Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell (KY) joining Democrats against her.
Shortly before the final vote, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said he was “proud” to say that every single Democrat would vote against her, claiming she “echoes Russian propaganda.”
Sen. John Barasso (R-WY) was one of Gabbard’s most vocal supporters in the Senate, saying ahead of the vote that she has the necessary “experience to keep our nation safe and secure”:
In a February 3 opinion piece in Newsweek, Gabbard listed her four day-one priorities:
First, to assess the global threat environment and identify where gaps in our intelligence exist, integrating intelligence elements, increasing information-sharing, and ensuring unbiased, apolitical, objective collection and analysis is provided to support President Trump and policymakers’ decision-making.
Second, I will deliver on President Trump’s commitment to the American people to end the politicization of the IC and provide focus to the IC’s essential mission, which is securing our nation.
Third, I will rebuild trust in the intelligence community through transparency and accountability.
Finally, I will assess and address efficiency, redundancy, and effectiveness across ODNI.
Her confirmation vote, which was originally scheduled to take place after midnight last night, was rescheduled to this morning after a snowstorm hit Washington, DC.
“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,” the lieutenant colonel wrote before the vote. “That mission is clear: It is to ensure the safety, security, and freedom of the American people.”
When Trump announced Gabbard as his pick to lead the ODNI in November, he commended her for fighting “for our Country and the Freedoms of all Americans,” and for her transition to the Republican Party:
“As a former Candidate for the Democrat Presidential Nomination, she has broad support in both Parties – She is now a proud Republican!”
The president added that Gabbard would “bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career” to the intelligence community and would champion the American people’s constitutional rights.
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