E-Paper
Why Mitch McConnell voted against Tulsi Gabbard’s confirmation as DNI
Former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was the only Republican to oppose Tulsi Gabbard’s confirmation as the Director of National Intelligence.
The Senate confirmed Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence with a vote of 52-48 on Wednesday. Former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was the only Republican to vote “no.” He later issued a statement explaining his decision.
Why did Mitch McConnell vote against Tulsi Gabbard?
In his statement, McConnell criticized Gabbard's “alarming lapses in judgment.” He pointed to her controversial statements regarding the Russia-Ukraine war, which many perceived as sympathetic toward Russia, as well as her previous support for NSA leaker Edward Snowden.
The 82-year-old Kentucky senator also referenced a 2023 post on X (formerly Twitter) in which Gabbard warned about the “remilitarization” of Japan, a key U.S. ally in the Indo-Pacific region.
"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. Edward Snowden's treasonous betrayal of the United States and its most sensitive lawful intelligence activities endangered sources, methods, and lives,” he wrote in his statement.
McConnell continued, “Japan is among America's closest treaty allies in the Indo-Pacific, and the risk of conflict in the region is the product of Chinese aggression, not western 'threat inflation'. Russia's escalation of its unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine threatens American interests and is solely the responsibility of Vladimir Putin.”
The statement concluded: "Entrusting the coordination of the intelligence community to someone who struggles to acknowledge these facts is an unnecessary risk. So is empowering a DNI who only acknowledged the value of critical intelligence collection authorities when her nomination appeared to be in jeopardy. Beginning today, the brave men and women of America's intelligence community will turn to Director Gabbard for principled leadership and sounder judgment in the service of America's interests and national security. I join all of them in hoping that she rises to the immense responsibilities of her office."
