Director of National Intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard cleared a key Senate test vote on Monday, all but assuring she’ll be officially confirmed to the role in the coming days.
The procedural vote succeeded, 52-46, with all Republicans voting to advance her nomination and all Democrats voting in opposition.
The Senate will hold a final vote on Ms. Gabbard’s nomination to lead the DNI office early Wednesday, unless her opponents consent to a quicker vote.
Some Republicans could still switch their votes but likely would not be enough to block her confirmation. For example, Sen. Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, has yet to express public support for Ms. Gabbard; he voted against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth despite supporting the first procedural vote to advance his nomination.
Ms. Gabbard, a military officer and former House member from Hawaii, quit the Democratic Party in 2022 to become an independent and then joined the Republican Party in 2024 to support Mr. Trump.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, South Dakota Republican, said Ms. Gabbard has the knowledge and leadership capabilities needed to refocus the intelligence community on its core mission of intelligence collection and unbiased analysis. He commended her for her plan to identify and eliminate redundancies and inefficiencies “to rightsize the office of the DNI.”
“When this position was created by Congress in the wake of 9/11, it was designed to be a sort of quarterback, if you will, for the intelligence community,” he said. “It was designed to be a lean organization focused on coordination and ensuring all the elements of the intelligence community are communicating and working together toward a common purpose. But it quickly became much larger than intended and it has become a bureaucracy unto itself.”
Sen. Susan M. Collins, a Maine Republican who helped author the law that created the DNI office, also cited Ms. Gabbard’s commitment to returning the agency to its intended size as reason for her support.
Ms. Collins, a key swing vote on the nomination, was among Republicans who raised concerns about Ms. Gabbard’s past support for pardoning Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who leaked classified information to expose widespread electronic spying on Americans.
Ms. Gabbard promised senators she would not recommend a pardon for Mr. Snowden and that she would seek justice against any intelligence community employee or contractor who leaks classified information.
Those commitments were key to securing support from Indiana Sen. Todd Young, the last Republican on the Senate Select Intelligence Committee to back Ms. Gabbard, after she refused during her confirmation hearing to call Mr. Snowden a traitor.
He was also assured by her vow to work with lawmakers to reauthorize Section 702 authorities of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which she opposed as a member of the House over concerns it allows Americans’ data to be caught up in warrantless surveillance of foreigners.
The changes in position were not enough to sway Democrats, who questioned her judgment and whether she could build trust among allies who share intelligence with the U.S.
“Repeatedly, Ms. Gabbard has excused our adversary’s worst actions and instead, often blamed the United States and our allies for them,” said Virginia Sen. Mark R. Warner, the top Democrat on the committee.
“For example, she blamed NATO for Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine,” he said. “And despite the unanimous assessment of the Trump administration’s DOD, State Department and IC, she rejected the conclusion that Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons against his own people.”
• Lindsey McPherson can be reached at lmcpherson@washingtontimes.com.