In a dramatic 52-48 vote on Wednesday, the U.S. Senate confirmed former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard as the nation’s top intelligence official, overriding fierce opposition from Democrats who cast doubt on her experience and foreign policy positions.
A Party-Line Showdown in the Senate
The decision to appoint Gabbard as director of national intelligence was a largely partisan battle, with Republican senators backing her military background and congressional experience, while Democratic lawmakers sounded alarms over her past comments on U.S. foreign policy and global alliances.
“She knows that good decisions require good intelligence,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said ahead of the vote. “And she knows that the cost of bad intelligence is measured in lives lost.”
Thune emphasized that Gabbard, a U.S. Army Reserve lieutenant colonel and a former member of key congressional committees, would streamline intelligence operations by eliminating inefficiencies and redundancies.
Democrats Warn of Foreign Policy Concerns
However, leading Democratic senators expressed serious misgivings over Gabbard’s confirmation.
