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Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are ramping up their scrutiny of Tulsi Gabbard ahead of her senate confirmation hearing to lead US intelligence agencies.
Some shit you should know before you read: Shortly after President Trump won the 2024 election, he announced the nomination of Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman and Army veteran, as Director of National Intelligence. This sparked a heated debate over her qualifications. While critics have raised concerns about her lack of experience and controversial foreign policy stances, supporters argue that her status as an outsider to the intelligence community makes her uniquely positioned to bring reform and challenge the norms within the intelligence establishment.

What’s going on now: Just days before Tulsi Gabbard is set to face her confirmation hearing to become Director of National Intelligence, her nomination is facing significant challenges as multiple Republican senators raise concerns over her past positions. A primary issue is her criticism of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a critical tool allowing warrantless surveillance of foreign targets that can sometimes incidentally collect Americans’ communications. While Gabbard has recently shifted her stance, calling the program “crucial” for national security, key GOP senators like Susan Collins remain unconvinced.
Collins noted that Gabbard’s past efforts to repeal Section 702 as a House member and her “vague” written responses during pre-hearing questioning have left doubts about her commitment to preserving the program without undermining national security. Senator Todd Young has also expressed skepticism, while Senator Leader Mitch McConnell is adamantly opposed to her nomination.
Another sticking point is Gabbard’s 2017 meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a move many Republicans view as troubling, even though she later condemned Assad. Combined with her previous remarks about Vladimir Putin, these actions have raised red flags among senators evaluating her ability to lead the US intelligence community. With a narrow 9-8 Republican majority on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Gabbard cannot afford to lose a single GOP vote to advance her nomination. Even if she clears the committee, she would still need near-unanimous Republican support in the full Senate, making her path to confirmation tight.
This all comes as the Trump administration has reportedly prepared alternative candidates in case Gabbard’s nomination fails to gain sufficient support.