McConnell also notably voted against confirmed Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense.
Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) both voted for Gabbard despite opposing Hegseth.
McConnell released a statement on his opposition shortly after the vote went final.
Tulsi Gabbard arrives to testify at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on her nomination to be Director of National Intelligence on Jan. 30, 2025.Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post/Getty Images
Concerned intelligence experts have called herhistorically unfitfor DNI.
The question raised and later dismissed by Senate Republicans is which ti parties might be influencing these views.
