The Senate votes to confirm Tulsi Gabbard as senior American intelligence

Washington – The Senate controlled by the GOP early Wednesday morning voted to confirm that Tulsi Gabbard is the national intelligence director of President Donald Trump, putting the former deputy for the vast American intelligence community.

The voting of 52-48 was largely in the party lines, with almost all the Republicans presenting the vote in favor of Gabbard. Senator Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., The former longtime gop leader who clashed with Trump, was the only republican to have joined all the Democrats to vote against her.

Gabbard’s confirmation is a victory for Trump and represents another example of his domination over the GOP, where few showed a desire to get out of the line.

After Trump announced Gabbard as his DNI choice in November, the Democrats – and a handful of Republicans – expressed serious concerns about his secret meeting of 2017 with the president of the Bashar Assad era of Syria; his friendly comments on Russia; His efforts to repeal a powerful government surveillance tool, known as article 702 of Foreign Intelligence Act; And his previous support for Edward Snowden, a former government entrepreneur who has disclosed classified information to the press on these spy programs.

Before his appointment, Gabbard had argued that Snowden should be pardoned. But appear before the senatorial intelligence committee during a confirmation hearing last month, Gabbard canceled the course, saying that she would not put pressure for Snowden to be forgiven or receive leniency, even if she refused to Call the former entrepreneur of the National Security Agency a “traitor” when he is in a hurry by the GOP senators.

In addition, Gabbard fell to his strong criticism of article 702 at the hearing, appealing to a “crucial” tool after the congress adopted new protections last year.

In the end, McConnell was the only republican to make Trump kiss and vote not on Gabbard. In a long scathing statement after the vote, McConnell said it was apparent that Gabbard was not prepared for work and demonstrated a “history of the alarming keys in judgment”.

“The power of advice and consent of the Senate is not an option; It is an obligation, and we cannot pretend to misunderstand. When the file of a candidate proves them unworthy of the highest confidence of the public, and when their command of relevant policy is below their office requirements, the Senate should retain its consent, “said McConnell, sounding specifically the Alarm on Gabbard’s remarks on Snowden, Chinese assault and invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

“In my assessment, Tulsi Gabbard has not shown that she is ready to assume this formidable national confidence.”

Moderate senator Susan Collins, R-Maine, member of the intelligence committee and a voting voting on the GOP, was one of the Republicans who had raised concerns about Gabbard but launched her support behind her just a few days after her hearing confirmation. Collins helped write the 2004 legislation which established the DNI position.

“The office of the national intelligence director … has become much larger than it was designed to be, and Ms. Gabbard shares my vision of returning the agency to its planned size,” Collins said in a statement This month. “In response to my questions during our discussion in my office and during the open hearing, as well as by her explanation during the hearing hearing in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Ms. Gabbard responded to my concerns about his opinions on Edward Snowden. “

Democrats strongly criticized Gabbard, suggesting that the Republicans were more concerned not to get angry than national security.

“Instead of talking about the facts and the truth, Ms. Gabbard speaks several times the language of falsehoods and conspiracy theories,” said the head of the Senate minority, Chuck Schumer, Dn.y. “The director of national intelligence must be strong against American opponents. But Ms. Gabbard spent her whole career to sympathize with Vladimir Putin and Bashar Al Assad. »»

The national intelligence director oversees the 18 agencies that make up the American intelligence community, including the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency. The DNI also advises the president on intelligence issues.

Gabbard, 43, a veteran of the war in Iraq, served for more than two decades in the army reserve. She had been a longtime Hawaii democrat, serving at the State House and the municipal council of Honolulu. She then represented Hawaii in the House of Representatives from 2013 to 2021. After she ran without success for the Democratic presidential appointment in 2020, Gabbard approved Joe Biden on Trump.

But she embarked on the Biden administration and left the Democratic Party in 2022. Last October, Gabbard announced that she joined the Republican Party and approved Trump, appearing with him on the campaign path at the ‘Approach to the 2024 elections.

The Senate votes on the advancement of the offer of the Secretary of Health of RFK Jr.

The Senate also planned to hold a key procedural vote on Wednesday on the appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s unorthodox choice for the Secretary of Health and Social Services. If Kennedy can win a simple majority, he could be confirmed on Thursday morning.

Some Republicans have expressed skepticism about Kennedy given his opposition prior to vaccines and support for abortion. But during a fragile performance at his confirmation hearing last month, Kennedy said he was now thinking that “vaccines have an essential role in health care”. Asked about his position on abortion, he replied: “I agree with President Trump that each abortion is a tragedy”, adding that the laws on abortion should be left to the States.

Last week, Senator Bill Cassidy, R-La., Doctor and chairman of the Senatorial Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee that was seen a voting of crucial swing, announced his support for RFK Jr. after saying that he had extracted half a dozen dozen key concessions of the candidate.

According to the words of Cassidy, RFK and the Trump administration have undertaken to “protect the public health benefit from vaccination”. RFK also undertook to have a “close collaborative working relationship” with Cassidy, said the senator, where they will speak several times a month. RFK will also appear before the aid committee on a quarterly basis if necessary, said Cassidy.