Lt. Col. Tulsi Gabbard, President Donald Trump’s nominee for Director of National Intelligence, faces a series of challenges to her confirmation and the first major test will be her hearing before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on Thursday.
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U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) is one of several who have been cited in recent media reports expressing skepticism about Gabbard’s past statements and positions.
In an interview earlier this week, Sen. Collins expressed concern in particular with how Gabbard has explained her position on Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which allows intelligence agencies to collect electronic surveillance on foreign threats but in the process of doing so may also monitor the communications of U.S. citizens.
“Her answers to the written questions were very hedged on it. I know there’s been a lot of reporting that she’s changed her position. That’s not how I read her answers. I read them as, ‘I’ll take a look at the reforms and see if they meet my concerns.’”
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) likewise expressed skepticism about Gabbard’s qualifications for the role.
As a Democratic congresswoman, Gabbard introduced a bill in 2020 that would have repealed the Patriot Act together with the government’s Section 702 powers.
More recently, her position has evolved and earlier this month she called the surveillance program “crucial <but it> must be safeguarded to protect our nation while ensuring the civil liberties of Americans.”
Following revelations that an FBI lawyer lied to a FISA court in order secure a warrant to access the communications of Trump campaign foreign policy advisor Carter Page, in 2020 Congress took up the issue of reforming the legislation that authorized FISA.
Collins and other senators on the intelligence panel will also likely seek explanations from Gabbard about her 2017 meeting with now-ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and statements she made as recently as 2022 seen as sympathetic to Russia’s stated reasoning for invading Ukraine.
At the outset of the war, Gabbard argued that the invasion could have been avoided if the Biden Administration had acknowledged Russia’s concerns with NATO’s expansion towards their territory.
“This war and suffering could have easily been avoided if Biden Admin/NATO had simply acknowledged Russia’s legitimate security concerns regarding Ukraine’s becoming a member of NATO, which would mean US/NATO forces right on Russia’s border,” said Gabbard.
A combat veteran of the U.S. war in Iraq, Gabbard has consistently opposed what she has termed as unnecessary U.S. intervention in foreign wars throughout her career in public office.
Gabbard’s views on foreign intervention appear to align with those of President Trump, who has promised to bring about a peaceful end to the war in Ukraine, and put American interests over international concerns.
In addition to Collins, Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) is another Republican on the intelligence committee who has expressed reservations about Gabbard.
“We’ll have lot’s of questions, she met with Bashar Assad, we’ll want to know what the purpose was, what the direction for that was,” said Sen. Lankford during an interview with CNN.
Should her nomination fail to win the support of all Republicans on the committee, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.Dak.) has indicated there may still be a mechanism to move it to the floor for a vote.
This mechanism could include pushing Gabbard to a vote in the whole senate even if she fails to receive a favorable recommendation from the Intelligence Committee.
With Gabbard’s hearing looming, rumors have surfaced that the Intelligence Committee may hold a secret vote.
“I’m told that the vote for Tulsi Gabbard might be done privately in a SCIF – with the vote tallies kept secret from the American people. This is outrageous and wrong. The American people deserve to know how THEIR Senators vote on Trump’s nominees,” said conservative media personality Charlie Kirk on X.
A secret vote would potentially allow Republicans to vote against Trump’s chosen nominee without making those votes known to their constituents and risking losing their support.
While the committee has voted in secret in the past, pressure among Trump allies is mounting on committee chairman U.S. Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) to call for an open vote on Gabbard.
Seamus Othot contributed to the reporting on this story.
Of course Susan Collins will oppose her ,
I have no doubt of that .
Hillary Clinton called her a “ foreign asset “ because she quit the democrat party
That’s all Susan Collins needs to know about that .
Hillary Clinton has proved herself to be a very reliable source .
Susan likes Hillary .
Duh ……Putin did invade Ukraine . Ok
Kamala Harris did go to Ukraine and tell the whole world that the US was in favor or letting Ukraine join NATO . Ok
We KNEW full well Putin had said he would not allow Ukraine to join NATO ….Ok
So what’s to know , except Susan Collins is a Democratic Party tool , who will do whatever she thinks she can , to disrupt the new Trump administration .
She proved that to us when she voted with the other RINO Markowski from Alaska .
In 2026 Remember THIS . Anybody but Susan Collins !
Collins certainly didn’t have any problem voting for EVERY one of Biden’s cabinet. How the hell could it be worse? We have to primary her out, she doesn’t represent Republicans in Maine.
Susan Collins needs to go!!! Maine is considered a Communist state like California and when we need Collins she gets pissy and votes against us. Of course they want to vote in secret the cowards!!!
Collins voted in all if O’Bozo’s cabinet picks and there were many obvious DEI losers among that group. What are you afraid of Susan? Maybe the part about…..”may also monitor the communications of US citizens.”
talk about eating their own, Tulsi was one of the few Democrats that could have taken them out of the dark ages
I repeat, she voted for men in dresses & a woman who couy define the difference between man and woman and who couldn’t answer constitutional questions but she has a problem with Tulsi?
This is the fourth Trump nominee she’s had problems with.
More like a severe anti Trump disorder and love of the DC swamp.
If a nominee has Trumps backing, Susan will have a problem,just like Mitch McConnell, another anti Trump Republican. These anti MAGA folks will all be primaried in the next election.and Susan will be just like Mitch.
Remember, Susie isn’t just anti Trump, she is anti Trump supporters. Time to see if the ME GOP can get Bobby Charles to primary her.
YES
I AGREE
Bingo !
We have a winner !
I have no doubt Charles could BEAT Collins in a primary .
From what I have seen from the Maine GOP pool Charles is the BEST choice .
No need to 3wait for a primary season. We need to have a recall election now. Collins no longer represents all Republicans in Maine, only the ones who hate Trump qualify for her acceptance. She sides with Mitch to deep six any MAGA candidate against the wishes of the majority of Republicans who put her in office.