The US Senate voted 52-46 on Monday to advance the nomination of Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence, clearing the path for a final confirmation vote later this week. The procedural vote split along party lines, with Republicans supporting the nomination and Democrats opposing it.
Gabbard, a former Democratic representative from Hawaii and Army National Guard veteran, has drawn scrutiny due to her limited intelligence experience and past statements that some critics view as sympathetic to US adversaries. Despite this, she has garnered strong backing from Republican senators, who praised her for agreeing to streamline the office of the director of national intelligence (DNI) as part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to reduce the size of government agencies.
The Senate Intelligence Committee last week narrowly recommended Gabbard’s nomination for full Senate consideration, with a 9-8 vote along party lines. However, several senators have expressed reservations about Gabbard’s qualifications for overseeing the 18 US intelligence agencies, given her lack of prior service on an intelligence committee and her past defense of figures like former NSA contractor Edward Snowden and her controversial visits to Syria under the regime of Bashar al-Assad.
At her confirmation hearing, Gabbard faced tough questions from senators across the political spectrum about her past defense of Snowden and her views on Russia and Syria. While serving in the House, she introduced legislation to drop charges against Snowden, who leaked classified NSA documents and later sought asylum in Russia.
Despite these concerns, Republicans have recently praised Gabbard for her commitment to prosecuting leakers and have downplayed her past statements about Russia and Syria. If Democrats remain united in their opposition, Gabbard can afford to lose no more than three Republican votes in order to secure confirmation.
The Senate is expected to vote on her confirmation early Wednesday morning, with Republicans working to ensure her approval, despite the vocal opposition from many Democrats.
