The Senate confirmed on Wednesday Tulsi Gabbard as Donald Trump's director of national intelligence. The vote was largely along party lines, with only one Republican senator going against the party: Mitch McConnell, the former GOP leader who has clashed with Donald Trump and also voted against Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense. He joined all Democrats in voting against her, with the final vote being 52-48.
Gabbard overcame concerns voiced by some Republicans after her candidacy was announced. A 2017 trip so Syria, which included a meeting with then-President Bashar al-Assad, sympathetic comments about Russia and its invasion of Ukraine, as well as her support for Edward Snowden were among the main reasons for this. In fact, Semafor reported in late January that there were some potential holdouts, with an unnamed GOP senator saying there were "very serious concerns by enough members to put her nomination in jeopardy."
