Tarsi Gabbard, a former representative appointed Director of National Intelligence for US President Donald Trump, testifies before a confirmation hearing by the Senate Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill, Washington, on January 30, 2025 . Photo credit: Reuters
Hindu America’s Tarshi Gabbard, a controversial pick to oversee President Donald Trump’s spy agency, has been approved by the National Intelligence Director (DNI)’s main Senate committee in a private vote and has been confirmed on her confirmation It paves the way for a wider Senate vote.
The Republican-led Senate Selection Committee on Intelligence Report approved Gabbard’s nomination in a 9-8 closure committee vote, along the party’s line. The entire Senate is expected to vote for her confirmation as early as next week, according to the Washington Post.
Gabbard, 43, a former Democrat from Hawaii, faced bipartisan skepticism about her suitability to overseeing spy agencies.
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton told reporters on Tuesday (February 4, 2025) after the closed door vote.
“We look forward to confirming her and keeping America safe with her,” he was quoted as saying on the hill.
The vote comes just hours after Sen. Todd Young, the leading Republican swing vote, announced she would support her.
Gabbard secured another big victory on Monday (February 3, 2025) as Sen. Susan Collins (R Maine) said he would support her in the committee’s vote.
Gabbard, a four-term lawmaker, presidential candidate for 2020 and NYT bestselling author, is a veteran of three developments in the war zones of the Middle East and Africa. She recently moved from Democrat to Republican.
In October 2022, she announced that she would leave the Democrats and become an independent.
On August 26, 2024, Gabbard officially supported Trump for his second term and soon began co-chairing his transition team.
On October 22, 2024, she added President Trump’s leadership and how he managed to transform the Republican Party, bringing it back to the people and the Peace Party.
The moment Trump announced Gabbard was DNI as his candidate, questions rife about her past views and statements.
These include a 2017 meeting with then-Syrian President Bashir al-Assad. Bashir al-Assad came when he was accused of using chemical weapons on his people. He sympathized with Moscow and echoed over the television in Russian provinces.
According to US law, all cabinet ranking positions and several other senior management positions must be confirmed in the US Senate. It starts with a confirmation hearing by each Senate committee.
Published – February 5, 2025 04:18 PM IST
