02/13/2025

Tulsi Gabbard Sworn in as Trump’s Director of National Intelligence

The former congresswoman overcame many objections about her qualifications

Tulsi Gabbard, the former Democratic congresswoman turned Trump supporter, on Wednesday was sworn in as the director of national intelligence, overseeing the full roster of U.S. intelligence agencies and serving as Trump's top adviser on such matters.

Hours earlier, the Republican-led Senate confirmed Gabbard for the post by a vote of 52 to 48, after a handful of GOP skeptics said she had assuaged their concerns about her views on the acquisition and protection of classified intelligence, and about her past conciliatory approach to U.S. adversaries. Only one Republican, the former Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (Kentucky) — one of the last sitting GOP lawmakers who has exhibited a willingness to buck Trump — voted against Gabbard’s confirmation.

Gabbard, 43, who represented Hawaii for eight years in Congress, has committed to implementing Trump’s desire for cuts at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) as part of his administration’s larger quest to slash government bureaucracy and spending.Republicans have argued in recent weeks that Congress designed the ODNI to be a “lean” organization when it was created in the aftermath of 9/11 to be a conduit and coordinator for the United States’ myriad intelligence collection services. Since then, they say, it has become bloated.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.