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Topline
Senators will hold a hearing next week to question former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard as President Donald Trump’s nominee for director of national intelligence—the latest controversial Trump cabinet pick to face Senate scrutiny as some Republicans have expressed unease about Gabbard’s controversial worldviews.
Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be Director of National Intelligence, … [+]
Timeline
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told NBC he is inclined to vote in favor of all of Trump’s nominees, but wants to “see how the hearing goes,” specifically citing Gabbard’s controversial visit to Syria and her previous call for National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden.
What To Watch For
Gabbard, or any of Trump’s nominees, can afford to lose no more than three votes to be confirmed, assuming all Democrats vote against them. Several Republicans—Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska—proved during Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s confirmation process they are willing to buck their party and vote against Trump’s picks. Hegseth was ultimately confirmed, but Vice President JD Vance needed to cast a tiebreaking vote.
When Is Gabbard’s Confirmation Hearing?
Jan. 30, in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
What Is The Director Of National Intelligence?
The director of national intelligence serves as the head of the Intelligence Community, a group of over a dozen spy agencies like the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency. The post was created after the Sept. 11 attacks, which were blamed partly on a failure by U.S. intelligence services to share information. The director also advises the president on intelligence issues and puts together the President’s Daily Brief, a digest of national security information. Trump’s selection of Gabbard reflects his longstanding distrust for the intelligence agencies, which stretches back to his first term.
Who Is Tulsi Gabbard?
Gabbard in 2002 became the youngest person elected to serve in Hawaii’s state legislature at the age of 21. She joined the Army National Guard in 2003 and served a year in Iraq then joined the Army Reserve in 2020. She represented Hawaii’s 2nd congressional district as a Democrat from 2013-2021 and was seen as a rising star in the Democratic party early in her political career. She ran for president in 2020 before dropping out and endorsing Joe Biden. She was known for clashing with other Democratic candidates, especially on foreign policy.
Why Did Gabbard Leave The Democratic Party?
Gabbard announced in 2022 she was leaving the party to become an independent, calling it “an elitist cabal of warmongers driven by cowardly wokeness” in a video announcement. She became a frequent guest on conservative news programs over the next two years and appeared alongside Trump on the campaign trail before announcing in October she was joining the Republican Party and endorsing Trump. “Today’s Democrat Party is completely unrecognizable,” Gabbard said while making the announcement at a rally in Greensboro alongside Trump.
What Happened With Gabbard And Harris During The 2019 Debate?
Gabbard’s clash with then-Sen. Kamala Harris during the debate was a breakout moment in her longshot campaign. Despite Biden being the frontrunner, Gabbard targeted Harris by highlighting her role in bringing marijuana-related convictions during Harris’ time as a prosecutor in California during an exchange about criminal justice reform.
What Are Gabbard’s Foreign Policy Views?
Gabbard has taken a controversial stance on U.S. military involvement in foreign conflicts, describing herself as a “dove” when it comes to “counterproductive wars of regime change,” but a “hawk” on “the war against terrorists.”
Why Is Gabbard Controversial—and What Does Gabbard Think About Russia And Syria?
In addition to her shifting political stance, Gabbard has interacted with and defended U.S. adversaries, including Russia and Syria. She has blamed the Biden administration for fueling Russia’s war with Ukraine and argued against Ukraine’s admission to NATO. She also alleged U.S.-funded biolabs in Ukraine could leak dangerous pathogens, after Russia baselessly claimed the U.S. and Ukraine are operating biological weapons facilities in Ukraine (though she didn’t appear to repeat the bioweapon claim in particular). Gabbard met with former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who terrorized his own people in the country’s civil war, in 2017 and said during a 2019 MSNBC interview he “is not the enemy of the United States,” though she later called Assad a “brutal dictator.” Gabbard also co-sponsored legislation during her time in Congress calling on the U.S. government to drop its charges against Snowden, who was charged with violating the Espionage Act for leaking national defense information. Due to those stances, some Democrats have accused her of being sympathetic toward Russia’s regime—a claim she has long denied.
What Do Republicans Say About Gabbard?
So far, no Republican senators have said they’ll vote against Gabbard, but several, in addition to Graham, have expressed reservations, including Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Mike Rounds, R-S.D. Collins specifically citing her views on Russia as a deterrent. Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., also initially questioned whether Gabbard would support Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows the U.S. government to conduct surveillance of non-citizens abroad without a warrant. Gabbard voted against legislation authorizing the act during her time in Congress, but reversed course after she was nominated for director of national intelligence, issuing a statement earlier this month stating her support for the surveillance program. Lankford said publicly he would support her after she endorsed Section 702.