The Republican-controlled Senate confirmed Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence in a 52-46 vote on Thursday.
However, Kentucky GOP Sen. Mitch McConnell was the only Republican to vote “no,” sending a message to President Donald Trump.
All 47 Democrats voted against Gabbard’s nomination, while all Republicans, except McConnell, supported her. The confirmation demonstrates the GOP’s support for Trump’s attempts to reform the intelligence community, which often disagreed with him during his first term in office.
Gabbard will be sworn in at the White House later today.
Earlier this week, both Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Bill Cassidy said they would vote to confirm Gabbard — essentially ensuring that there would not be any drama on the Senate floor.
Murkowski, Cassidy, and the other Republican senators who voted chose to move forward with the confirmation process by supporting cloture. The Democratic senators who voted, on the other hand, were against cloture.
“I will vote to confirm Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence,” Murkowski declared in a post on X.
