- Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination for director of national intelligence passed the Senate Intelligence Committee with a 9-8 vote, despite bipartisan concerns.
- Sen. Mark Kelly, among other Democrats, voted against Gabbard, citing concerns about her judgment and past stances aligning with Russian interests.
- Gabbard’s nomination now awaits consideration by the full Senate, where the level of Republican support remains unclear.
Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination to oversee the nation’s intelligence agencies passed a key hurdle on Tuesday when the Senate Intelligence Committee approved her in a close, party-line vote.
Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., was among the Democrats on the panel who voted against her, saying she lacked the judgment to shape what information makes its way to President Donald Trump on a daily basis.
Even so, her nomination as director of national intelligence passed on a 9-8 vote and awaits consideration by the full Senate.
Gabbard, a former Democratic member of Congress, has faced bipartisan concern that she could not unequivocally condemn Edward Snowden for downloading and distributing top secret information about U.S. surveillance activities.
Kelly and others also pressed her for repeatedly siding with Russian interests in its war in Ukraine and in the Syrian civil war.
In a written statement explaining his vote, Kelly said that in last week’s confirmation hearing “rather than ease my concerns, she confirmed them.”
“This position decides what intelligence gets in front of the president. It’s critical to our national security and the safety of all of our families,” he said. “Congresswoman Gabbard has made clear that she lacks the judgement and decision-making to do this job well.
“Healthy skepticism is a good thing, but when someone consistently embraces sensational, but poorly supported claims while dismissing the thorough assessments of our intelligence community, it becomes dangerous.”
Beyond his concerns over Snowden and that she disputed former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad’s use of chemical weapons on his own people, Kelly said Gabbard’s views are part of a broader mistrust of the agencies she hopes to oversee.
“While she’s tried to walk away from these statements over the past few weeks to earn votes, her track record of hostility towards our intelligence community is far too long to dismiss,” he said.
Gabbard’s nomination encountered skepticism from several Republican senators on the Intelligence Committee, including Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., who was perhaps the final holdout.
In the end, all of the GOP members united to send her to the full Senate for a final vote.
Young said Gabbard assured him she would work with the committee to determine whether existing safeguards against improper disclosure of national secrets are strong enough to prevent future incidents such as the one that involved Snowden, who has moved to Russia to avoid U.S. prosecution.
“I have done what the Framers envisioned for senators to do: use the consultative process to seek firm commitments, in this case commitments that will advance our national security, which is my top priority as a former Marine Corps intelligence officer,” Young said in a statement on the matter.
It was not immediately clear whether Gabbard faces serious risk of splintered GOP support in a full vote. To this point, Republicans have remained largely united in support of Trump’s Cabinet nominees.
Under questioning:Here’s what Sen. Mark Kelly asked Tulsi Gabbard in her high-stakes confirmation hearing