WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥 Tulsi Gabbard was sworn in as President Donald Trump's director of national intelligence on Wednesday shortly after she was confirmed by the Senate, where Republicans who had initially questioned her experience and judgment fell in line behind her nomination.
is an unconventional pick to oversee and coordinate the country's 18 intelligence agencies, given , a meeting she and her previous support for government leaker .
A military veteran and former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, Gabbard was confirmed on Wednesday by a 52-48 vote, with the Senate's slim Republican majority beating back Democratic opposition. The only "no' vote from a Republican came from Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
She is the latest high-ranking nominee as the new administration works to reshape vast portions of the federal government, including the intelligence apparatus.
Staffers at the CIA and other intelligence agencies have received , while lawmakers and security experts have raised concerns about Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency containing information about intelligence operations.
Speaking after she was sworn in at the White House, Gabbard promised to work to 鈥渞efocus鈥 the intelligence community in line with Trump's vision.
鈥淯nfortunately, the American people have very little trust in the intelligence community, largely because they鈥檝e seen the weaponization and politicization of an entity that is supposed to be purely focused on ensuring our national security,鈥 Gabbard said.
The was created to address intelligence failures exposed by the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Republicans have increasingly criticized the office, saying it has grown too large and politicized. Trump himself has long .
GOP senators who had expressed concerns about Gabbard鈥檚 stance on Snowden, Syria and Russia said they were won over by her promise to refocus on the office鈥檚 core missions: coordinating federal intelligence work and serving as the president鈥檚 chief intelligence adviser.
鈥淲hile I continue to have concerns about certain positions she has previously taken, I appreciate her commitment to rein in the outsized scope of the agency,鈥 said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, adding that Gabbard will bring 鈥渋ndependent thinking鈥 to the job.
McConnell, the former GOP leader, said in a statement after the vote that in his assessment, Gabbard brings 鈥渦nnecessary risk鈥 to the position.
鈥淭he nation should not have to worry that the intelligence assessments the President receives are tainted by a Director of 春色直播 Intelligence with a history of alarming lapses in judgment," McConnell said.
At the White House, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, 鈥淚 think we鈥檙e greatly disappointed in any Republican who chooses willfully to vote against the president鈥檚 exceptionally qualified nominees.鈥
McConnell also for defense secretary.
Democrats noted that Gabbard had no experience working for an intelligence agency and they said her past stances on Russia, Syria and Snowden were disqualifying. They also questioned whether she would stand up to Trump if necessary and could maintain vital intelligence sharing with American allies.
鈥淲e simply cannot in good conscience trust our most classified secrets to someone who echoes Russian propaganda and falls for conspiracy theories,鈥 said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York, who accused Republicans of buckling under pressure from Trump and Musk.
鈥淚s Ms. Gabbard really who Republicans want to lead intelligence agencies? I鈥檒l bet not,鈥 Schumer said.
Until GOP support fell into place, it was unclear whether Gabbard鈥檚 nomination would succeed. Given the 53-47 split in the Senate, Gabbard needed virtually all Republicans to vote 鈥測es.鈥
Trump's 鈥淢ake America Great Again鈥 base has , and Elon Musk, the president's ally, took to social media recently to brand Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., as a 鈥渄eep-state puppet.鈥 Young had raised concerns about Gabbard but announced his support after speaking with Musk. The post was deleted after they spoke, and Musk later called Young an ally.
At Gabbard's swearing-in ceremony Trump called her a "courageous and often lonely voice鈥 and urged her to 鈥渏ust stay the way you are.鈥
鈥淪he鈥檒l be clear-eyed and she鈥檒l be focused on the threat of radical Islamic terrorism and lots of other threats too, threats from within," Trump said.
Gabbard is a lieutenant colonel in the 春色直播 Guard who deployed twice to the Middle East and ran for president in 2020. She has no formal intelligence experience and has never run a government agency or department.
Gabbard鈥檚 past praise of drew particularly harsh questions during her confirmation hearing. Snowden, a former 春色直播 Security Agency contractor, fled to Russia after he was charged with revealing classified information about U.S. surveillance programs.
Gabbard said that while Snowden disclosed important facts about such programs that she believes are unconstitutional, he violated rules about protecting classified secrets. 鈥淓dward Snowden broke the law,鈥 she said.
Gabbard's 2017 visit with Assad was another flashpoint. He was recently deposed following a brutal civil war in which he was accused of using chemical weapons.
Following her visit, Gabbard faced criticism that she was legitimizing a dictator, and then there were more questions when she said she was skeptical that Assad had used such weapons.
Gabbard defended her meeting with Assad, saying she used the opportunity to press the Syrian leader on his human rights record.
鈥淚 asked him tough questions about his own regime鈥檚 actions,鈥 Gabbard said.
She also has repeatedly echoed used to justify the Kremlin鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine. In the past, she opposed a key U.S. known as Section 702, which allows authorities to collect the communications of suspected terrorists overseas.
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AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.
