Tuesday,
February 11, 2025
Year : 2, Issue: 24
Reuters: The US Senate voted on Monday to advance the nomination of former Representative Tulsi Gabbard to be director of national intelligence, continuing President Donald Trump’s successful push to confirm even his most at-risk nominees for administration positions.
The Senate voted 52-46 on a procedural measure to limit debate on the closely watched nomination, more than the simple majority needed to clear the way for the 100-member chamber to vote on her confirmation later this week.
The vote was on party lines, with every Republican favouring advancing Gabbard’s nomination, while Democrats opposed it.
Trump’s fellow Republicans have rallied behind Gabbard, despite doubts about the 43-year-old former Democrat’s lack of significant intelligence experience and past statements seen as supporting US adversaries.
The Senate Intelligence Committee last week recommended Gabbard’s nomination for consideration by the full Senate by a narrow 9-8 vote, also along party lines.
“Tulsi Gabbard is a walking five-alarm fire, and must be rejected, must be,” Democratic Senator Adam Schiff said in a Senate speech after the procedural vote.
At her confirmation hearing, Gabbard faced pointed questioning from senators from both parties about her past defense of former US National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden and comments seen as supportive of Russia.
While in the House of Representatives, Gabbard introduced legislation that would have dropped criminal charges against Snowden, who leaked thousands of highly classified National Security Agency documents, fled to China and then sought asylum in Russia.
Republicans more recently have praised Gabbard for now saying she would prosecute leakers and discounted concerns about her past statements about Russia and Syria.
When the 100-member Senate votes on her confirmation in a vote expected very early on Wednesday morning, Gabbard cannot afford to lose the support of more than three Republicans to still be confirmed, if Democrats remain united against her.
