President Donald Trump’s new Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Tulsi Gabbard, was sworn in at the White House on Wednesday, just hours after being confirmed by the Senate.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters during her briefing, “Senate Republicans continued to confirm President Trump’s exceptionally qualified nominees, most recently Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who will be joining us later at the White House for her swearing-in ceremony.”
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“It’s imperative that the remainder of the president’s Cabinet nominees are confirmed as quickly as possible,” she added.
The Senate confirmed Gabbard in a 52-48 vote. The divide was along party lines, with the exception of former GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who opposed her.
“In my assessment, Tulsi Gabbard failed to demonstrate that she is prepared to assume this tremendous national trust,” McConnell said in a lengthy statement on his vote.
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“The nation should not have to worry that the intelligence assessments the president receives are tainted by a Director of National Intelligence with a history of alarming lapses in judgment.”
Gabbard notably faced scrutiny over her past meeting with former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, her previous FISA Section 702 stance and her past support for NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.
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But those concerns were mostly quelled by Gabbard herself, in coordination with the significant efforts of Chairman Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Vice President JD Vance, who worked behind the scenes to get party members on board.
She is the 14th Cabinet official to be confirmed in Trump’s second term.
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Next up will be Trump’s similarly controversial pick Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is nominated to be secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). He will get a vote early Thursday morning after clearing his last procedural hurdle Wednesday afternoon.
