‘Alarming lapses’: McConnell votes against Trump pick Tulsi Gabbard for intelligence role
Mitch McConnell was the sole Republican to vote against Tulsi Gabbard to become the director of the nation’s intelligence services Wednesday, an indication of his fresh willingness to break with President Donald Trump’s wishes as a rank-and-file member at the end of his career.
“The nation should not have to worry that the intelligence assessments the President receives are tainted by a Director of National Intelligence with a history of alarming lapses in judgment,” McConnell said in a statement.
Gabbard was confirmed to be the Director of National Intelligence by a vote of 52-48.
“The Senate’s power of advice and consent is not an option; it is an obligation, and one we cannot pretend to misunderstand,” McConnell added. “When a nominee’s record proves them unworthy of the highest public trust, and when their command of relevant policy falls short of the requirements of their office, the Senate should withhold its consent.”
This is the second Trump Cabinet appointee McConnell opposed.
Last month, he voted against Pete Hegseth as defense secretary, saying the former Fox News host had failed to demonstrate he could guarantee the security of the American people and its global interests.
On Wednesday, McConnell noted that the director of national intelligence is a key participant in a process that informs every national security decision that Trump will make.
“The [office] wields significant authority over how the intelligence community allocates its resources, conducts its collection and analysis, and manages the classification and declassification of our nation’s most sensitive secrets. In my assessment, Tulsi Gabbard failed to demonstrate that she is prepared to assume this tremendous national trust,” McConnell said.
Gabbard was eyed warily by some Republicans for her past anti-interventionist foreign policy views, particularly her meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2017. Critics said it raised concerns about her views on authoritarian regimes.
Unlike past DNIs, Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, does not have a strong background in intelligence operations, leaving some senators to believe she lacks the experience for such a high-level cabinet role.
McConnell’s vote on Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services is also highly anticipated and could provide his third vote against a Trump Cabinet nominee.
This story was originally published February 12, 2025 at 12:32 PM with the headline "‘Alarming lapses’: McConnell votes against Trump pick Tulsi Gabbard for intelligence role."
