Former Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell was the only Republican who voted against the confirmation of Tulsi Gabbard as the director of national intelligence, though his ‘no’ vote did not impact Gabbard’s confirmation as she was confirmed in a 52-48 vote. All 47 Democrats voted against Gabbard.
McConnell said he did not vote for Gabbard as he was concerned that Gabbard refused to label Edward Snowden as a traitor. “Edward Snowden’s treasonous betrayal of the United States and its most sensitive lawful intelligence activities endangered sources, methods and lives,” McConnell said in a statement after the vote. McConnell said it would be risking to “empowering a DNI who only acknowledged the value of critical intelligence collection authorities when her nomination appeared to be in jeopardy.”
McConnell voted on Monday in favor of a procedural motion to advance Gabbard’s nomination to a final up-or-down vote.
McConnell also voted a ‘no’ on defence secretary Pete Hegseth forcing Vice President JD Vance to break the tie and confirm him in his new position.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer made an appeal to the senators to reject Gabbard on the ground that she lacked the judgment and qualifications to lead the intelligence officials around the world.
“I feel so strongly I just wanted to make one last plea to my Republican colleagues,” Schumer said before the vote. “We simply cannot in good conscience trust our most classified secrets to someone who echoes Russian propaganda and falls for conspiracy theories,” he said.
Republicans slammed McConnell and called for his removal from the Senate. “Mitch McConnell voted against Tulsi Gabbard. The guy is a walking corpse. Why has his family not retired him? It’s elderly abuse at this point,” one wrote.
“Backstabbing RINO Mitch McConnell voted NO on Tulsi Gabbard. Get out,” right-wing commentator Benny Johnson wrote.
82-year-old McConnell recently had two falls near the Senate chamber that rendered him in a wheelchair. But the senator came in a wheelchair to vote against Gabbard. “Mitch McConnell — who can’t walk himself into work — just voted no on Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination for DNI. She was still confirmed anyway. The old guard is soundly defeated,” one wrote.