Tulsi Gabbard confirmed as Director of National Intelligence

Gabbard had cleared a key hurdle on Monday when Senate Republicans came together to invoke cloture - a procedural measure taken to move toward a final vote.

This triggers a 30-hour period for debate. Democrats have been utilizing the full 30 hours to protest Trump's nominees, and his policies, on the floor of the Senate. That meant that the full chamber could not vote on Gabbard's confirmation until the first few hours of Wednesday morning.

After her approval, Senate Republicans are expected to invoked cloture on another controversial pick, Robert F Kennedy, Jr, for health secretary. The final vote on his nomination, then, would come early Thursday.

As director, Gabbard will oversee 18 intelligence agencies including the CIA, FBI and National Security Agency (NSA) and manage a budget of more than $70bn (£55bn).

Trump tapped the military veteran for her "fearless spirit", he said in a statement, in line with several of his other cabinet picks who he sees as disrupting the Washington establishment.

But the former Democrat stands out as one of Trump's most disputed nominees.

She was widely expected to face Democratic opposition, but she also lost the vote of McConnell, a key Republican figure. Following the vote, McConnell said in a statement that he felt she was unqualified for the role.

"In my assessment, Tulsi Gabbard failed to demonstrate that she is prepared to assume this tremendous national trust," he said. "The nation should not have to worry that the intelligence assessments the President receives are tainted by a Director of National Intelligence with a history of alarming lapses in judgment."

Gabbard faced a contentious confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee at the end of January where committee members grilled her on past comments about government whistleblower Edward Snowden, her views on the government's surveillance authority and her relationships with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syria's former dictator Bashar al-Assad.