The US Senate held a procedural vote on Monday to nominate Tulsi Gabbard for the post of Director of National Intelligence, signaling her direct confirmation to the post. This was reported by The New York Times, according to UNN.
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The 52-46 vote was the latest sign that Republicans, facing intense pressure from US President Donald Trump to confirm his nominee, are ready to abandon their doubts and capitulate to his wishes, the newspaper notes.
This cleared the last hurdle to Gabbard's confirmation, which had previously been controversial in the Senate, due to strong concerns about her positions on intelligence and her sympathetic statements about former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
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Her candidacy is now likely to be approved in the final vote, which will take place either late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning.
These steps were taken at a time when Democrats, who called Gabbard unfit for the position she was nominated for, began to put pressure on their Republican colleagues, urging them to join them in opposition.
Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said it would be “irresponsible” to confirm Gabbard, calling her unfit to lead the 18 agencies that make up the US intelligence community.
“Today's world is more complex and dangerous than ever before; we need serious people with the experience, knowledge and judgment to navigate that complexity,” Warner said in a speech moments before the vote. - “Unfortunately, Ms. Gabbard is not that candidate.
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