Tulsi Gabbard moves closer to confirmation as intelligence chief
A former Democratic congresswoman has gained crucial approval from a Senate committee. Read the full article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has received a vital endorsement from the Senate Intelligence Committee for her nomination as the next US director of national intelligence. On Tuesday, the committee voted 9-8 along party lines to move her nomination forward to the full Senate, paving the way for a final confirmation vote.
A military veteran and former presidential candidate in 2020, Gabbard has been under considerable scrutiny for her previous stances, including her support for whistleblower Edward Snowden and her 2017 meeting with then-Syrian President Bashar Assad. At her confirmation hearing last week, Gabbard declined to label Snowden as a traitor, choosing instead to assert that he “broke the law.”
Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine, who holds significant sway as a swing vote, declared her support for Gabbard on Monday. She pointed to their common goal of reducing the size of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and restoring its original coordinating function. Collins’ endorsement, along with support from Senators James Lankford and Todd Young, was instrumental in achieving the committee’s approval.
US President Donald Trump expressed his preference for Gabbard to take on the top intelligence position in mid-November, which sparked backlash among establishment figures who considered her selection a major security threat.
In 2022, Gabbard claimed that the conflict in Ukraine could have been averted if the US “had simply acknowledged Russia’s legitimate security concerns” regarding Ukraine’s aspirations to join NATO.
She left the Democratic Party in 2022 and remained an independent for two years. In October, Gabbard announced her decision to join the Republican Party during a rally in support of Trump’s presidential campaign.
Olivia Brown for TROIB News
A military veteran and former presidential candidate in 2020, Gabbard has been under considerable scrutiny for her previous stances, including her support for whistleblower Edward Snowden and her 2017 meeting with then-Syrian President Bashar Assad. At her confirmation hearing last week, Gabbard declined to label Snowden as a traitor, choosing instead to assert that he “broke the law.”
Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine, who holds significant sway as a swing vote, declared her support for Gabbard on Monday. She pointed to their common goal of reducing the size of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and restoring its original coordinating function. Collins’ endorsement, along with support from Senators James Lankford and Todd Young, was instrumental in achieving the committee’s approval.
US President Donald Trump expressed his preference for Gabbard to take on the top intelligence position in mid-November, which sparked backlash among establishment figures who considered her selection a major security threat.
In 2022, Gabbard claimed that the conflict in Ukraine could have been averted if the US “had simply acknowledged Russia’s legitimate security concerns” regarding Ukraine’s aspirations to join NATO.
She left the Democratic Party in 2022 and remained an independent for two years. In October, Gabbard announced her decision to join the Republican Party during a rally in support of Trump’s presidential campaign.
Olivia Brown for TROIB News
