As the president-elect’s other Cabinet candidates returned to the Capitol for more senatorial questioning, Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s pick to serve as the nation’s top intelligence official, started meeting with influential lawmakers this week.
For her support of Russia and Syria’s recently exiled ruler, Bashar al-Assad, Gabbard, one of Trump’s most divisive nominees, is under fire from senators for her appointment as director of national intelligence.
Other troubled choices, such as Trump’s selection of Pete Hegseth to head the Defense Department, have mostly eclipsed Gabbard’s bid. Trump reiterated his support for Hegseth in an interview with NBC News on Friday.
Due to accusations regarding his treatment of women and alcohol use, Hegseth presently does not have enough votes to be approved in the Republican-controlled Senate.
According to two people familiar with the transition team’s thinking, Trump is keeping Hegseth afloat despite the numbers, partly to prevent Gabbard from taking center stage on her own.
This arrangement was contested by a Trump transition official.
The official stated in a statement that this is wholly untrue. President Trump has selected well-respected leaders who will provide exceptional service to our country. All of our nominations have the backing of the President and the Transition team, who anticipate that they will all be confirmed.
At the same time Gabbard starts her confirmation process in earnest, Hegseth is anticipated to return to the Capitol for additional discussions with a new push from Trump.
There are many obstacles in her way of confirmation. Former Hawaii congressman Gabbard, a combat veteran and Democrat who is now an independent and Republican, will go up against a number of senators who are familiar with her from her tenure in the House, when her opinions on authoritarian governments concerned her peers.
Prior to closely aligning herself with Trump and his third campaign for president, Gabbard became a vocal figure on right media following her unsuccessful 2020 bid for the Democratic nomination.
As a disruptor of the so-called deep state that Trump promises to demolish, she became a mainstay at Trump rallies before the November election and a celebrity among his MAGA audience.
Some conservatives do not trust Gabbard, according to three people involved with internal deliberations, who say Senate Republicans oppose her not only because of her contentious foreign policy views but also because of her recent political changes.
It is undeniable that Gabbard is completely in line with President Trump’s America First policy and the MAGA movement, regardless of her ideological affiliation. The transition official told NBC News that he and his staff are still dedicated to her being nominated.
In a Sunday exclusive interview with NBC News Meet the Press, Trump declared his faith in Gabbard, describing her as a highly esteemed individual.
Longtime Trump associate Roger Stone, who supports Gabbard’s selection, stated, “I have every reason to believe that the president will go all out in his efforts to get Tulsi Gabbard confirmed.”
“Let those senators who may oppose her put forth their combat record of military service to the country before they question her patriotism or loyalty,” he said.
Citing his victory in November, the transition source, who was given anonymity to talk openly and is acquainted with Trump’s views, added that he was prepared to spend political capital to battle for the team he desires.
This individual claimed that these nominees reflected his style of governance. The American people gave the president a mandate when he won a landslide win. He is dedicated to carrying out the mandate with an administration and team that are representative of the program he presented and that the American people voted for, both individually and collectively.
The insider said that since the president-elect is not saddled with running for reelection, he will be using his political resources to carry out his plan, which begins with getting these candidates confirmed.
Incoming Intelligence Committee chairman and Trump friend Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., is a defense hawk who deviated from Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance in favor of ongoing military assistance to Ukraine. Starting next week, Gabbard will take on Cotton and the other members of the 17-member panel.
Republicans who think Gabbard is unfit to be the nation’s top spy are unlikely to remain silent, two sources told NBC News, while they have been concentrating on Trump’s other controversial choices, including Hegseth and, prior to his withdrawal, Matt Gaetz.
Gaetz’s eight-day attempt to become attorney general was thwarted by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who had little to lose following a turbulent relationship with Trump. According to one of the individuals, McConnell would also find it difficult to permit Gabbard’s efforts to proceed, even if he has so far kept his remarks against Trump’s choices confidential.
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