Tulsi Gabbard was sworn in as the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) at the White House on Wednesday, just hours after the U.S. Senate confirmed her nomination. The oath of office was administered by Attorney General Pam Bondi in the presence of President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. The White House later shared a video of the ceremony on X, stating, "Tulsi Gabbard has officially been sworn in as Director of National Intelligence by AG Pam Bondi in the Oval Office! MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN."

Gabbard’s confirmation was among the most controversial of Trump’s appointments, with the Senate voting 52-48 largely along party lines. Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was the only GOP senator to oppose her confirmation. Despite concerns raised over her foreign policy views, particularly regarding Russia and Syria, key Republican senators, including Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, and Todd Young, supported her nomination.

During her confirmation hearings, Gabbard was questioned about her past defense of Edward Snowden, her shifting stance on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act’s Section 702, and her 2017 meeting with then-Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who was under U.S. sanctions at the time. While she refused to call Snowden a traitor, she partially walked back her previous claims that Russia was provoked into invading Ukraine and asserted she had "no love" for Assad.

Following her swearing-in, Gabbard stated her commitment to “refocusing the intelligence community” and echoed a common Trump talking point that U.S. intelligence agencies had been used as political tools. “Unfortunately, the American people have very little trust in the intelligence community, largely because they’ve seen the weaponization and politicization of an entity that is supposed to be purely focused on ensuring our national security,” she said. Trump, who was present at the ceremony, praised her as "an American of extraordinary courage and patriotism."

As DNI, Gabbard will oversee 18 intelligence agencies, including the CIA and FBI, which collectively employ over 70,000 personnel tasked with handling some of the country’s most sensitive intelligence operations. Despite her previous criticisms of the intelligence community, Republicans have rallied behind her appointment, emphasizing her independence and oversight capabilities. Immediately after her confirmation vote, the Senate moved on to a procedural vote on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination for Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Sources:

• The Guardian
• CNN
• ANI