Washington On Tuesday, a U.S. Senate subcommittee advanced former Hawaii U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination to the Senate floor, taking her one step closer to being the next director of national intelligence.
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence confirmed to States Newsroom that Gabbard, one of President Donald Trump’s most contentious Cabinet picks, received enough votes to move her nomination along party lines, 9–8.
Legislators from both parties expressed grave reservations about the lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve’s candidacy after a string of scandals, including her meetings with then-Syrian tyrant Bashar al-Assad and her foreign policy stance.
In front of the Senate intelligence panel last week, Gabbard clarified some of her previous remarks and actions and, if verified, outlined her plan to work toward halting the politicization of the intelligence community.
Although Gabbard’s confirmation was by no means assured by Tuesday’s committee vote, the result moved her one step closer to perhaps landing the position in charge of managing the enormous intelligence community.
The budget for that community, which consists of 18 agencies and organizations, exceeds $100 billion.
Despite her failed 2020 Democratic presidential campaign, Gabbard, who is now a Republican, was able to garner the backing of senators on the panel who expressed doubt about her candidacy, including GOP Sens. Todd Young of Indiana and Susan Collins of Maine.
Collins stated on Monday that Gabbard had allayed her worries about the nominee’s opinions on Edward Snowden, a former National Security Agency contractor who disclosed sensitive material about monitoring activities.
Gabbard faced criticism for not labeling Snowden a traitor during the confirmation hearing last week.
Collins was successful in persuading Gabbard to state that, if verified, she would oppose a pardon for Snowden.
Young also endorsed Gabbard in a social media post on Tuesday, sharing a letter she sent to the Indiana Republican detailing certain promises she would make, if authenticated.
