WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) released the following statement after voting against Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard to serve as the Director of National Intelligence. Congresswoman Gabbard was confirmed in a vote of 52-48.

“The Director of National Intelligence position boils down to judgment and management — and I find Congresswoman Gabbard lacking in both of these essential traits.

“First to the quality of judgment and discernment. While the Congresswoman has demonstrated sometimes justified skepticism towards the work of the American intelligence community, that skepticism appears to wane when it comes to our foes and those posing threats to America’s national security. Consistently, she has taken actions that call into question her judgement in this regard. As a member of Congress, for example, she sought to drop espionage charges against Edward Snowden even though ample evidence was available demonstrating his egregious compromise of the security of our country.

“In addition, she has consistently opposed the reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, one of the most important tools available to our intelligence community. Although she has recently expressed support for this provision, I find her new-found enthusiasm unconvincing, and without solid administration support — starting with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence — this invaluable capability could be lost.

“Secondly, while Congresswoman Gabbard has managed an office on Capitol Hill, and other small groups throughout her private sector career, she has not managed a larger body of professionals. While this would not be a deal breaker if she measured up in all other categories, this lack of experience in dealing with large-scale organizations also represents a shortcoming.

“I thank the Congresswoman for her military service to our nation and I appreciate her willingness to represent the people of her district and make a public contribution. However, she does not get my vote to spearhead America’s efforts to monitor the threats facing Americans and managing the clandestine professionals who serve on the front lines protecting our national security.

“Since the majority of my colleagues saw her nomination differently, I commit to working with her and providing her any guidance or feedback needed to help her and the intelligence community succeed. The priority here remains keeping Americans safe and our interests protected worldwide.”

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