US President Donald Trump's efforts to overhaul the nation's intelligence apparatus appear set to continue, with the confirmation of Tulsi Gabbard as the next director of national intelligence.
The US Senate on Wednesday (12/2) voted 52-48 to support Gabbard, narrowly rejecting concerns about her experience and past statements about classified intelligence leaks and other issues.
After the vote, Gabbard told Trump that she would "help fulfill the mandate that the American people gave you so clearly in this election."
"The American people have little trust in the intelligence community, particularly as they have seen this entity that is supposed to be focused solely on ensuring national security become weaponized and politicized," Gabbard said shortly after being sworn in at a ceremony in the Oval Office at the White House.
"It's an honor to be in this position to help your administration rebuild that trust and ultimately keep the American people safe," he added, praising the president for "making sure that war is a last resort, not a first resort."
Gabbard has the support of every Republican senator except former Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. She joined Democrats in opposing her confirmation.
However, Senate Democrats' last-minute pleas to their Republican colleagues to reject Gabbard's nomination had no effect.
"We cannot in good conscience give credence to someone who is peddling Russian propaganda and believing in conspiracy theories to keep [state] secrets," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told colleagues before the vote began.
Schumer also suspected that most Republicans would agree with him.
"If we had a secret ballot, Gabbard would probably only get 10 votes," he said. "People know that. That's why they're asking questions. But Donald Trump and Elon Musk apparently threatened them, and they changed their mind."
Trump appointed Gabbard last November, praising her for her "courage."
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