The confirmation prospects for Tulsi Gabbard, President Donald Trump’s nominee for Director of National Intelligence, look slightly better after this weekend.
In an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” this past Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) revealed that former Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) will introduce Gabbard at her hearing on Thursday. Burr, a former chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, is highly regarded by incumbent Senate Republicans and has some credibility across the aisle as well (he was one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump during his second impeachment trial).
His assistance will be critical for Gabbard, who must first win the support of the Senate Intelligence Committee before advancing to a full senate vote. Committee members Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) are reportedly undecided on whether they will support her. Losing support from either would put Gabbard’s nomination in serious peril.
Gabbard received additional support on Sunday from Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), one of the party’s most pro-war voices, who is also chairman of the Intelligence Committee. “It’s fine for people to have policy differences and ask questions about those differences. But I hope no one would impugn Ms. Gabbard’s patriotism or her integrity,” Cotton said Sunday, referencing Gabbard’s military service background.
“You know, Hillary Clinton has basically called her a traitor in the past,” he added. “This is a woman who served more than 20 years in our nation’s army.”
Still, senators from both parties have a long list of concerns about the nominee. Her 2017 trip to Syria, vocal support for Edward Snowden, past opposition to the surveillance tool FISA Section 702 (which she walked back earlier this month), her 2022 comments about Ukrainian bio labs (which she immediately clarified as not weapons labs), and support for ending the war in Ukraine (which has been interpreted as pro-Russia) will all surely be raised in upcoming hearings.
Gabbard has also alienated the national security establishment with less publicized views, including her openness to a more cooperative relationship with China and her caution against going to war with Iran.
Regardless of how Gabbard explains this record, most if not all Democrats will vote against her, making Republicans key to her survival. The Intelligence Committee is 9-8 in favor of the GOP. If she loses one Republican, her nomination may not advance to the Senate floor. That is why some Trump-aligned members are now imploring Chairman Cotton to make it an open roll call vote, to pressure the Republicans who may be on the fence, according to Politico this morning.
Supporters say the opposition from the Washington foreign policy and intelligence community reflects her threat to the status quo, and that she is one of the few voices of reform and restraint that Trump has nominated to top positions in his new administration.
“Sadly, if Gabbard is voted down,” wrote Jacobin correspondent Branko Marcetic, recently for RS, “her most likely replacement would not be someone with more consistent anti-war views than her — it would be someone with much more hawkish bonefides and much less likely to buck the system.”
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