Gabbard Could Be The Next Trump Nominee To Come Under Fire In The Senate

Tusli Gabbard looks likely to be the next of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks to face a bumpy ride in the U.S. Senate.

Two current and three former GOP Senate aides familiar with discussions over the national security nominations told POLITICO that the former Democratic congressperson and recent MAGA convert will face intense questioning and stiff resistance when her nomination as the next director of national intelligence comes before the Senate.

While many cautioned it was still anyone’s guess what would happen, one former senior staffer at the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence argued her nomination was already dead on arrival.

“I do not think the votes are there for Tulsi Gabbard. I don’t see how you get to a majority on SSCI, I’m sorry to tell you,” said the person, who like others in this story, was granted anonymity to speak about the sensitive and still in flux confirmation process.

Several of the staffers said a key reason Gabbard’s issues have not come to the surface yet that is that the media firestorm around Trump’s other controversial nominees — namely his first pick for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, and his current nominee for Defense secretary, Pete Hegseth — have taken attention from Gabbard.

“The best thing that Tulsi has going for her is the other Trump nominees that are blowing themselves up,” a former senior Republican Senate staffer said.

Alexa Henning, a spokesperson for Gabbard on the transition team, said the former Hawaii lawmaker will begin Hill meetings with the Senate Intelligence Committee and GOP leadership next week, and is looking forward to sharing her qualifications for the role, including her two decades of service in the Hawaii National Guard and the Army reserve. “As DNI, she will protect our national security, uphold our constitutional rights and restore public trust in our government institutions,” Henning said.

Trump’s decision to tap Gabbard, who left the Democratic Party in 2022 and joined Trump on the campaign trail last fall, shocked intelligence community officials in part because she has never worked in intelligence and has espoused views that appear sympathetic to Russia and Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad.

The Republican staffers variously cited her views on Russia and Syria, her lack of experience and her foreign travel as her biggest problems in the confirmation process.

“Certainly I think the senators are going to ask her some serious questions about her track record during the vetting," a Republican Senate aide said.

Gabbard does have one of the highest levels of security clearance, known as a TS/SCI, due to her time in the military, according to two people familiar with the matter. She will also have to undergo an FBI background check as part of the nomination process. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) has already requested that the transition team share those documents with the committee, a Democratic Senate Intelligence Committee aide said.

One thing that could help or hurt Gabbard’s case is who Trump picks as her No. 2, the principal deputy director of national intelligence. Gabbard has already been helping interview candidates for the role, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Eric Bazail-Eimil contributed to this report.