Tulsi Gabbard Confirmed as Director of National Intelligence by Senate

The Republican-led Senate has confirmed Tulsi Gabbard as the new Director of National Intelligence (DNI), handing President Donald Trump another key victory in assembling his second-term administration. Despite unified Democratic opposition, Gabbard secured confirmation with a 52-48 vote, with only Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) breaking ranks with the GOP majority.

Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii and 2020 presidential candidate, broke with her old party in 2022, calling out its corruption and radicalism. Her nomination to lead the U.S. intelligence community came after she endorsed Trump’s 2024 campaign and played a role in his transition team.

Trump praised Gabbard as a fearless patriot with a long track record of serving the country.

• Gabbard, a combat veteran and former vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, has been a vocal critic of the intelligence community’s weaponization against political opponents.

• During her confirmation hearings, she pledged to eliminate partisan bias within intelligence agencies and ensure their primary mission protecting the American people remains intact.

• She forcefully rejected the leftist narrative that she and Trump were "puppets" of foreign adversaries, stating, “What truly unsettles them is that I refuse to be their puppet.”

Her nomination, however, faced stiff resistance from Senate Democrats, who have made it their mission to stall Trump’s cabinet picks through procedural delays and smear campaigns. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) attacked Gabbard with the usual leftist talking points, accusing her of spreading “conspiracy theories” and being too soft on foreign adversaries.

Despite Democratic obstruction, Gabbard successfully won over skeptical Republican senators, including Susan Collins (R-ME), Todd Young (R-IN), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Bill Cassidy (R-LA). Their support ensured her confirmation, with Murkowski citing her confidence in Gabbard’s ability to rein in the intelligence community’s “outsized scope” while maintaining national security.

With Gabbard now confirmed, Trump’s national security team is taking shape, despite Democrats’ best efforts to slow the process. Their obstructionist tactics have already delayed other key appointments, including Kash Patel’s nomination to lead the FBI, which Senate Democrats pushed back again this week.

Meanwhile, the full Senate is gearing up to vote on Trump’s pick for Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., another nominee who has rattled the left.

Democrats may be fuming, but the message is clear: Trump is putting America First, and nothing is stopping him from assembling the team he needs to do it.

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