The Senate confirmed Tulsi Gabbard 52-48 Wednesday as the next Director of National Intelligence.
Senator Mitch McConnell was the only Republican to vote against Gabbard. All Democrats voted against her.
McConnell said Gabbard’s record “was unworthy of the public trust.”
“The nation should not have to worry that the intelligence assessments the President receives are tainted by a Director of National Intelligence with a history of alarming lapses in judgment,” he said.
McConnell cited a lapse of judgment about Edward Snowden as a concern.
Snowden was a whistleblower who fled to Russia after exposing that the American government was spying on its citizens.
Gabbard introduced a bill while in the House to drop all charges against Snowden.
During her confirmation process, Gabbard would not call Snowden’s actions treasonous.
In an op-ed for Newsweek, she said she does not “casually throw around” the term treason.
“It is essential to focus on the facts, not the label. Snowden should have raised his concerns about illegal surveillance through authorized channels, such as the Inspector General or the Intelligence Committee, instead of leaking to the media,” she wrote.
The swing votes in the Senate came down to Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Todd Young (R-IN).
On Tuesday night, Murkowski took to Twitter to say she would vote for Gabbard.
Even though Murkowski had “concerns” about previous positions Gabbard had taken, she appreciated “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.”
“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,” Murkowski said on X.
Last week, Young said he supported Gabbard’s nomination and looked forward to working with her to protect America’s national security.
As DNI, Gabbard will serve as America’s leader of the U.S. intelligence community.
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Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network. Email tips to Zachery at zschmidt1717@gmail.com. Follow Zachery on Twitter @zacheryschmidt2.
