Senate committee backs Tulsi Gabbard as next intelligence chief
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Senate Intel Committee Advances Tulsi Gabbard's Nomination as Intel Chief
Above: US Pres. Donald Trump’s nominee to be Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, testifies during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Jan. 30, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Image copyright: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
The US Senate Intelligence Committee voted along party lines (9-8) on Tuesday to advance Pres. Donald Trump's nominee for director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, to the full Senate floor for consideration.
This comes as moderate Republican senators considered swing votes at the panel level — Susan Collins of Maine and Todd Young of Indiana — announced support for Gabbard ahead of the vote.
During a closed-door confirmation hearing last week, Gabbard faced intense grilling about her past support for Edward Snowden, as well as comments perceived as sympathetic to Russia and a meeting with Syria's former leader Bashar al-Assad.
The Spin
Republican narrative
Americans have lost trust in the US intelligence community, and it's up to the next director of national intelligence to address this trend and reestablish credibility with the nation. For these reasons, Tulsi Gabbard is the right choice. She has the courage, experience, independent thinking, and professional integrity that the intelligence community needs.
Democratic narrative
US senators risk threatening national security if they come to approve Trump appointee Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence. She is a political opportunist incapable of evaluating intelligence, even distorting facts to fit her anti-American political narratives. It's time for moderate Republicans to show their patriotism and put a stop to this.