Washington: In his first formal meeting after arriving here, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Tulsi Gabbard, who had just won the Senate, and confirmed her as the Director of National Intelligence.
Following the meeting on Wednesday night, PM Modi posted X: “I congratulated her on her confirmation. We discussed various aspects of the India-USA friendship, of which she’s always been a strong supporter.”
Gabbard overcame strong opposition and scepticism to win the Senate vote on Wednesday to confirm her for the nation’s top intelligence job. She was sworn in just hours before meeting PM Modi.
She received 52 votes to 48, with only one Republican, Senator Mitch McConnell, joining the Democrats to vote against her.
She is an American Hindu with parents who have embraced the faith.
Some of those opposed to her used her religion in their campaign against her.
During her 11 years in the House of Representatives, she was a strong supporter of India.
She was the co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans.
She also served on the House Intelligence Subcommittee and the Armed Forces Committee.
A former Vice President of the Democratic Party, she left the party and joined the Republican Party, where she campaigned for Trump last year.
Attorney General Pam Bondi administered Gabbard’s oath of office. Trump called Gabbard “an American of extraordinary courage and patriotism.”
He noted that she had been deployed three times in the Army National Guard and that she was a former Democratic Congresswoman, riffing, “Can you believe that?”
Gabbard, 43, a former Democratic Congresswoman from Hawaii, had faced bipartisan scepticism about her suitability for overseeing the spy agencies.
Gabbard thanked the President for his trust in her and vowed to “refocus our intelligence community” after she was sworn in.
“Unfortunately, the American people have very little trust in the intelligence community, largely because they’ve seen the weaponisation and politicisation of an entity that is supposed to be purely focused on ensuring our national security,” the new Intelligence Chief said.
She has met PM Modi several times in the past, and after a meeting in 2019, she said, “India is the world’s largest democracy and one of the United States most important partners in the Asia-Pacific region.”
“It is important that we continue to strengthen this partnership between our two nations that has long had support from both Democrat and Republican leaders,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) posted on X that discussions during Wednesday’s meeting also focused on enhancing intelligence cooperation in counterterrorism, cybersecurity, and emerging threats.
“PM Narendra Modi held a productive meeting with US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard in Washington DC today. Discussions focused on enhancing intelligence cooperation in counterterrorism, cybersecurity and emerging threats,” the post said.
PM Modi arrived in the US capital on Wednesday around 5.30 p.m. (Thursday, 4 a.m. IST) after a visit to France, where he had co-chaired the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit with French President Emmanuel Macron.
PM Modi and Trump will hold bilateral discussions in the White House on Thursday.
“Our nations will continue working closely for the benefit of our people and a better future for our planet. ”
–IANS
Caption: Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets with US Director of National Security Tulsi Gabbard in Washington on Wednesday, February 13, 2025. (Photo: Narendra Modi@X)
