Tulsi Gabbard clears Senate committee

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination to be President Donald Trump’s director of nationwide intelligence cleared a key Senate committee Tuesday regardless of issues raised about her previous feedback sympathetic to Russia and a gathering with Syria’s now-deposed chief.

A former Democratic congresswoman, Gabbard is considered one of Trump’s most divisive nominees, with lawmakers of each events additionally pointing to her previous assist for presidency leaker Edward Snowden. However the Senate Intelligence Committee superior her nomination in a closed-door 9-8 vote, with the committee’s Democrats voting no.

Gabbard’s nomination now heads to the complete Senate for consideration. A vote has not been scheduled but.

Following a contentious affirmation listening to final week, the place some Republican senators questioned Gabbard harshly, GOP assist for her fell into place following a strain marketing campaign over the weekend unleashed by Trump supporters and allies, together with Elon Musk.

Till three GOP members seen as swing votes introduced their assist, it wasn’t clear her nomination would advance past the Intelligence Committee. Given robust Democratic opposition and skinny Republican margins, Gabbard will want virtually all GOP senators to vote sure to win affirmation to the highest intelligence job.

Although some Republicans have questioned Gabbard’s previous views, they assist her calls to overtake the Workplace of the Director of Nationwide Intelligence, which coordinates the work of 18 federal businesses centered on intelligence assortment and evaluation. GOP lawmakers have additionally taken goal on the workplace, saying it’s grown too giant and politicized.

Senate Intelligence Chairman Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, stated Tuesday that he appeared ahead to working with Gabbard to “carry badly wanted reforms” to ODNI.

Gabbard is a lieutenant colonel within the Nationwide Guard who deployed twice to the Center East and ran for president in 2020. She has no formal intelligence expertise, nonetheless, and has by no means run a authorities company or division.

Gabbard’s previous reward of Snowden drew notably harsh questions throughout the nomination listening to. The previous Nationwide Safety Company contractor fled to Russia after he was charged with revealing labeled details about surveillance packages.

Gabbard stated that whereas Snowden revealed necessary details about surveillance packages she believes are unconstitutional, he violated guidelines about defending labeled secrets and techniques. “Edward Snowden broke the regulation,” she stated.

A 2017 go to with Syrian President Bashar Assad is one other flash level. Assad was just lately deposed following a brutal civil warfare during which he was accused of utilizing chemical weapons. Following her go to, Gabbard confronted criticism that she was legitimizing a dictator after which extra questions when she stated she was skeptical that Assad had used chemical weapons.

Gabbard defended her assembly with Assad, saying she used the chance to press the Syrian chief on his human rights file.

She has additionally repeatedly echoed Russian propaganda used to justify the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine and prior to now opposed a key U.S. surveillance program.

Democrats stated Gabbard’s response to questions on her previous views did little to fulfill them. Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona stated Gabbard lacks the judgment to tackle a job that’s so essential to the nation’s safety.

“Wholesome skepticism is an effective factor, however when somebody persistently embraces sensational, however poorly supported claims whereas dismissing the thorough assessments of our intelligence group, it turns into harmful,” Kelly stated in an announcement explaining his vote. “However relatively than ease my issues, she confirmed them.”

Within the newest occasion of the “Make America Nice Once more” base pressuring senators to assist Trump’s nominees, Musk blasted Republican Sen. Todd Younger of Indiana as a “deep-state puppet” in a now-deleted social media put up earlier than the 2 males spoke and Musk later known as him an ally.

Younger, whose essential questioning of Gabbard had prompted hypothesis he would possibly oppose her, confirmed Tuesday he would again Gabbard. Younger stated his powerful questions for Gabbard have been simply a part of the method.

“I’ve achieved what the framers envisioned for senators to do: use the consultative course of to hunt agency commitments, on this case commitments that can advance our nationwide safety,” he wrote in assertion asserting his assist for Gabbard.