The Senate voted to confirm former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard as the next director of national intelligence by a vote of 52-48.
As director of national intelligence, she will play a key role in national security for the White House. Her agency is tasked with preparing the president's daily briefing and overseeing the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council for intelligence matters related to national security.
Gabbard was seen as one of President Donald Trump's more controversial cabinet picks — and at times, her nomination was in doubt.
When she testified before lawmakers in January, Gabbard accused the intelligence community of being "weaponized" against political opponents. She claimed that she was among those targeted by the intelligence community after she said she was placed on a terror watch list within 24 hours of criticizing the nomination of 2024 Democratic Party presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
The New York Times reported that intelligence officials briefly subjected her to special scrutiny on airline flights after she attended an event at the Vatican organized by a European businessman who appeared on an FBI watch list.
As a member of the Army National Guard, Gabbard served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. She was elected to Congress in 2012. In 2019, Gabbard announced she would not seek reelection, choosing instead to focus on her presidential campaign. After failing to gain traction, she dropped out and endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 race against President Donald Trump.
In 2022, Gabbard left the Democratic Party, calling it an "elitist cabal of warmongers." During an October 2024 rally with Trump, she announced she was joining the Republican Party.
