Key ‘Never-Trumper’ Republican Senator Reveals How She Will Vote On Tulsi Gabbard’s Confirmation

Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski has just confirmed that she will be voting ‘yes’ on Tulsi Gabbard’s confirmation as Director of National Intelligence.

Sen. Murkowski, a so-called ‘Never Trumper’ Republican, voted against the confirmation of Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense.

Up until today, it was unknown which way she would end up voting on Tulsi Gabbard.

Here’s her post announcing that she will vote YES on Tulsi:

I will vote to confirm Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence. While I continue to have concerns about certain positions she has previously taken, I appreciate her commitment to rein in the outsized scope of the agency, while still enabling the ODNI to continue its…

— Sen. Lisa Murkowski (@lisamurkowski) February 11, 2025

With Sen. Murkowski’s vote, Tulsi Gabbard has secured all Republican members of the Senate!

Another Republican Senator who was on the fence about Tulsi Gabbard was Sen. Mitch McConnell.

But, this evening, the Senate GOP unanimously voted to advance Tulsi Gabbard to a final full Senate confirmation vote later this week.

The Senate vote to invoke cloture was 52-46.

Based on this vote, Tulsi Gabbard will be confirmed as DNI:

BREAKING: The Senate just voted 52-46 to invoke cloture and activate Tulsi Gabbard's confirmation vote.

Based on this vote, she is 100% confirmed. Any moment now, we'll have our new Director of National Intelligence. pic.twitter.com/KBl6GPFSCi

— George (@BehizyTweets) February 10, 2025

Politico reported:

Senators voted to advance Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination to serve as director of national intelligence in a party-line vote Monday evening, setting the stage for a final confirmation vote later this week.

Having secured the support of 52 Senate Republicans, Gabbard, one of President Donald Trump’s most controversial Cabinet nominees, is on track to be confirmed as the nation’s top intelligence official in the coming days. Forty six Democrats in the chamber voted against Gabbard. Two senators were absent from the vote.

GOP Sens. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — who had been seen as potential swing votes — voted to advance the nomination of the former Democratic lawmaker.

Monday’s vote was held under a procedural measure known as cloture, which has been invoked in regard to some of Trump’s more controversial Cabinet nominees, including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Once passed, the measure allows for up to 30 hours of debate on a measure before a final vote can be held.

Gabbard passed out of the Senate Intelligence Committee in a party line vote following a contentious confirmation hearing at the end of January. Lawmakers from both parties quizzed Gabbard on her past remarks about NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, her 2017 meeting with the former Syrian Dictator Bashar al-Assad and her views on a controversial government surveillance authority known as section 702.

ADVERTISEMENT

Tulsi Gabbard’s final confirmation vote will happen this Tuesday or Wednesday.

From The Hill:

The Senate voted largely along party lines Monday evening to advance Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination to serve as President Trump’s director of national intelligence (DNI), putting her on a glide path to confirmation later this week.

The 52-46 vote brings the Senate’s two-month debate over Gabbard’s qualifications and unorthodox national security views close to an end.

When confirmed on Tuesday or Wednesday, she will be in charge of putting together President Trump’s daily intelligence brief and leading approximately 1,750 employees at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in McLean, Virginia. She will oversee the nation’s 18 intelligence agencies.

Trump tapped her for the nation’s top intelligence job because he viewed her as a disruptor who will take on Washington’s entrenched establishment, a major reason why he picked former Fox News anchor Pete Hegseth to head the Department of Defense.

She advanced through the Senate despite significant Republican skepticism thanks to the unwavering support of Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), a highly respected voice on national security issues within the GOP conference, who repeatedly vouched for her patriotism.

He repeatedly emphasized her years of military service and multiple combat tours. He admonished colleagues at the start of her confirmation hearing not to “impugn” her patriotism or integrity.

ADVERTISEMENT