Gabbard Confirmed: Three Critical Takeaways About this Key Change Agent

Topic: Perspective

It’s official, finally. Tulsi Gabbard, the former Democrat and Congresswoman from Hawaii, has been confirmed as the Director of National Intelligence in a 52-48 vote. Notably, she received the support of Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, who decided to herd with the pack rather than cast their no votes to placate liberals who hate them anyway since her confirmation was assured with or without them. Mitch McConnell, in his decrepit f*** it tour, played the McCain role from one of Trump’s strongest states. I have written for months, despite the hand wringing associated with the Cabinet picks themselves, the lengthy and tedious confirmation process, and the objections of ideologically constrained pundits, that Gabbard is among the Trumpiest of Cabinet picks and checks a litany of irregular boxes that are effective in combating the current threats to liberty and domestic thriving.

I saw Gabbard’s transformation coming a long way away, and documented those thoughts in this 2022 piecewhen her departure from the Democrat Party was announced:

The machine hates Tulsi Gabbard because Tulsi Gabbard hates one of the most powerful mechanisms of the permanent bureaucracy – the military industrial complex. Truly, no one can identify the waste and brokenness of modern-day military operations like a post-9/11 veteran with service in Iraq or Afghanistan can. I have outlined this sentiment on numerous occasions. Decades of failure, loss of life, depreciation of the national morale, and weakness on the global stage all stem from our disastrous involvement in these distant rockpiles, or jungles from decades past.

For those struggling to come to grips with a longtime Democrat turned Republican arriving at the head of the intelligence community, with oversight of all 18 agencies, these are the three most important takeaways to understand:

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I. Our Right to Privacy

One of the first things an Army intelligence officer learns in training is the concept of Intelligence Oversight – the process that keeps intelligence personnel in compliance with laws governing the collection of intelligence. Primarily, it is illegal to collect intelligence on American citizens simply because you feel like it. Too bad for all of us that the past several decades of lawlessness and overreach carried out by the intelligence community has robbed everyone of privacy and has opened the door for authoritarian regimes to carry out retaliation against their political enemies and ideological opponents. As described in my November 2024 piece, which I wrote to talk everyone off the proverbial ledge:

In another move that emphasizes the new coalition, Trump’s appointment of Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence is also vital for the wellbeing of all Americans. While hardline conservative warhawks wail about this appointment, most Americans agree with her that our foreign engagements are pointless and that spying on Americans by our own intelligence agencies must end. The Director of National Intelligence oversees all 18 intelligence agencies (a ridiculous number, by the way), giving her great power over their agendas, missions, funding, and domestic policy.

Her confirmation will move mountains for Americans who are awake to the unconstitutional use of spy powers in violation of basic privacy rights, as she’s been a vocal champion of these rights dating back to her days as a Democrat.

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II. The Depoliticization of the Intelligence Community