In a move very much underscoring his Washington Establishment, anti-Trump nature, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) voted on Wednesday, February 12 with the Democrats in the chamber against confirming veteran and former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as the Director of National Intelligence (DNI).
This isn’t the first anti-Trump move from McConnell, even of this presidency. In fact, the senator, who has gone on record with the media stating that he is opposed to Trump and his agenda because of January 6, previously voted against Trump’s Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, in that January confirmation hearing.
In any case, Sen. McConnell was, in the case of Tulsi Gabbard, the only Republican to vote “no” on her confirmation as DNI. Every Democrat in the chamber voted “no” as well. However, despite McConnell’s status as a turncoat and every Democrat joining him in intransigence, the Senate was able to confirm Gabbard’s nomination by a vote of 52-48.
McConnell issued a statement on his vote shortly after it occurred. Explaining what he did, the elderly RINO said, “The Senate’s power of advice and consent is not an option; it is an obligation, and one we cannot pretend to misunderstand. When a nominee’s record proves them unworthy of the highest public trust, and when their command of relevant policy falls short of the requirements of their office, the Senate should withhold its consent.”
Continuing, he attacked Tulsi, saying, “The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) is a key participant in the process that informs every major national security decision the President makes. The ODNI wields significant authority over how the intelligence community allocates its resources, conducts its collection and analysis, and manages the classification and declassification of our nation’s most sensitive secrets.”
He then said, “In my assessment, Tulsi Gabbard failed to demonstrate that she is prepared to assume this tremendous national trust.” He further added, “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.”
He then compared her to Edward Snowden and randomly brought up Japan, saying, “Edward Snowden’s treasonous betrayal of the United States and its most sensitive lawful intelligence activities endangered sources, methods, and lives. 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.”
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McConnell then attacked Tulsi as not understanding “the intelligence community,” saying, “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.”
Concluding, he said, “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.”
Watch McConnell attack Trump here: