iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
After going through a tense Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, skepticism, and more Tulsi Gabbard was confirmed to head the U.S. Director of National Intelligence(DNI), on Feb. 12.
The DNI serves as head of the U.S. Intelligence Community, a coalition of 18 agencies and organizations, and directly briefs the president of the United States.
Former representative from Hawaii, 43-year-old Gabbard, a Republican received 52-48 votes mostly along party lines, though Republican Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky joined Democrats in opposing the confirmation, as per CNN.
Gabbard, one of U.S. President Donald Trump’s more controversial picks, faced concerns from several Republican senators over her lack of support for Ukraine; her shifting position on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act’s Section 702, a key surveillance and security tool; her 2017 meeting with former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad; and her past support for Edward Snowden.
However, key swing Republican senators, including Senators Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Todd Young of Indiana ultimately decided to back her confirmation.
On Monday night, Murkowski acknowledged in a statement that she still had “concerns about certain positions (Gabbard) has previously taken,” but added that Gabbard “brings independent thinking and necessary oversight to her new role.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune defended Gabbard’s nomination in a speech on the Senate floor Monday afternoon, in which he highlighted her military service and focused on her promise to “right-size” the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, as per CNN.
“I am glad that Ms. Gabbard plans to focus on identifying and eliminating redundancies and inefficiencies to restore the office to what it was originally designed to be,” CNN reported Thune as saying.
He also said that he was “glad to hear” Gabbard refer to FISA Section 702 as essential after she seemed to go back and forth on her position on the issue.
Gabbard is Trump’s 14th nominee to be confirmed since January 20.
