WASHINGTON, D.C. — Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation hearings for the Trump administration are currently delayed.
However, at least Gabbard, nominated for the director of national intelligence, appears to have a good chance of being confirmed.
Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) said Gabbard must still turn in her “paperwork” but that he wants to see the Democrat-turned-Republican confirmed.
CBS News reported that Barrasso “is not concerned about having enough support for Gabbard’s confirmation.”
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“She continues to have promotions in the military. She’s a lieutenant colonel. She now has top level security clearances,” Barrasso told CBS News’ “Face the Nation.”
“She’s the right person to keep America secure and safe,” Sen. Barrasso said.
Gabbard previously served in Congress as a Democrat and supported socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 run for president, before running in the 2020 Democratic Party primaries. During the race, she supported minimal limits on abortion, but that made her the least pro-abortion candidate in the race, as many, if not all the other candidates, supported abortion through all nine months of pregnancy.
However, she has since declared herself a Republican, campaigned for Trump, and won support from some conservatives for her criticism of pediatric surgical and chemical gender mutilation. Gabbard is also less hawkish and opposes endless foreign wars.
She won the support of one skeptical Republican, Sen. James Lankford, after she said she supports the U.S. government being able to spy on non-U.S. citizens abroad.
“Section 702, unlike other FISA authorities, is crucial for gathering foreign intelligence on non-U.S. persons abroad,” she said in a recent statement, as reported by the New York Post. “This unique capability cannot be replicated and must be safeguarded to protect our nation while ensuring the civil liberties of Americans.”
Lankford of Oklahoma previously had questioned Gabbard’s view on this program but said he is now satisfied with her response.
— Matt Lamb (@MattLamb22) January 15, 2025
“Yeah, I am,” the senator told “Meet the Press” on Sunday, when asked if he was a yes vote for Gabbard.
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“Obviously she voted against 702 authority. And just to clarify that, that authority is for actually trying to be able to track terrorists overseas,” the Oklahoma Republican said. “That has nothing to do with American citizens or anything that’s happening in the United States.”
Sen. Mike Rounds said he thinks she will be confirmed, according to The Hill. The Senate Intelligence Committee member made the comments even prior to Lankford’s endorsement.
“I think she’s a very quick study. I think she’s very bright, and I think the challenge for her will be in … an open discussion, will be showing the expertise that she needs. And I think she’s well on her way, so I’m optimistic that she’ll be successful,” he previously told The Hill.
