Tulsi Confirmed as Director of DNI!

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, the Republican-led Senate confirmed Tulsi Gabbard as President Donald Trump’s Director of National Intelligence (DNI), placing the former congresswoman at the helm of the vast U.S. intelligence apparatus. The 52-48 vote largely followed party lines, with nearly every Republican present supporting Gabbard. The sole exception was Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the former GOP leader who has had a contentious relationship with Trump. McConnell joined all Democrats in opposing her nomination. No surprises that being that McConnell is part of the swamp. I could say much worse, but I will hold back. 

Gabbard’s confirmation marks a significant victory for Trump, underscoring his continued influence over the Republican Party, where dissent remains rare. Her appointment also reignites debates by Democrats over her controversial past, including a 2017 meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which apparently Democrats are upset over. Notably, Trump is also willing to meet the bad guys and try to understand the situation and hopefully settle things. Something that the ruling class does not hold an interest in. The media and Democrats also cite her past sympathetic remarks toward Russia, her criticism of government surveillance programs, and her earlier support for Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor who leaked classified information as reason they didn't support her. Snowden is a hero, government surveillance programs are out of control, and Russia does not have to be our enemy simply because paid career politicians will it to be. 

During her confirmation hearing last month, Gabbard sought to distance herself from some of these controversies. While she had previously advocated for Snowden’s pardon, she told the Senate Intelligence Committee that she would no longer push for clemency, though she stopped short of labeling him a “traitor.”, and rightfully so. She also softened her stance on Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, calling it a “crucial” tool after Congress implemented new safeguards last year. Mainly, in my opinion, because she knows that if she is in charge she can change the aspects about it that get abused, so that it can be a tool used as intended, rather than a tool used to spy on Americans. 

Despite these concessions, McConnell remained unconvinced. In a blistering statement following the vote, he criticized Gabbard’s “history of alarming lapses in judgment” and argued that she lacked the qualifications for such a critical role. “The Senate’s power of advice and consent is not an option; it is an obligation,” McConnell said, emphasizing concerns about her views on Snowden, China, and Russia’s actions in Ukraine. “In my assessment, Tulsi Gabbard failed to demonstrate that she is prepared to assume this tremendous national trust.” This coming from a guy who has deep business/family ties to China, and who also seems to make terrible decisions regularly on the floor of Congress, today being another example of this. 

Moderate Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), a key swing vote on the Intelligence Committee, initially expressed reservations about Gabbard but ultimately supported her nomination. Collins, who co-authored the 2004 legislation creating the DNI role, said Gabbard had addressed her concerns, particularly regarding Snowden, and shared her vision of scaling back the agency to its original scope. Currently, rumors have sprung up that make the claim that Trump may pardon Snowden, which makes Tulsi's take on him moot. Perhaps this is something they worked out together beforehand. 

Democrats, however, were sharply critical, accusing Republicans of prioritizing loyalty to Trump over national security. Which by the way everyone who works under a president should be. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) lambasted Gabbard on the Senate floor, accusing her of promoting “falsities and conspiracy theories” and sympathizing with adversaries like Vladimir Putin and Bashar al-Assad. “The director of national intelligence must be strong against America’s adversaries,” Schumer said. “But Ms. Gabbard has spent her entire career aligning herself with those who oppose our values.” This coming from the guy who said Hunter laptop was Russian disinformation and has continued to spread lies and disinformation about January 6th in Democrats failed attempt to garner sympathy over their staged coup attempt. 

As DNI, Gabbard will oversee the 18 agencies comprising the U.S. intelligence community, including the CIA and NSA, while advising the president on critical intelligence matters. A 43-year-old Iraq War veteran and Army Reserve officer with over two decades of service, Gabbard has had a varied political career. Once a prominent Hawaii Democrat, she served in the state legislature and Honolulu City Council before representing Hawaii in the U.S. House from 2013 to 2021. After an unsuccessful bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, she endorsed Joe Biden over Trump. However, disillusioned with the Biden administration, she left the Democratic Party in 2022 and joined the GOP last October, aligning herself with Trump as he campaigns for the 2024 election.

Also, she currently remains a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, yet Democrats like Adam Chiff openly make the claim that she is a "Putin puppet", further illustration that Democrats aren't impressed with or concerned about our military, unless they can use them to suit some narrative, usually false. Adam Schiff has never served in the military.