Tulsi Gabbard, Trump choose to supervise spy companies, clears Senate panel

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

A former Democratic member of Congress, Gabbard is one among Trump’s most divisive nominees, with lawmakers of each events additionally pointing to her previous assist for presidency leaker Edward Snowden. But the Senate Intelligence Committee superior her nomination in a closed-door 9-8 vote, and it now heads to the total 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 stress marketing campaign over the weekend unleashed by Trump supporters and allies, together with Elon Musk.

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

Given the delicate nature of the work it does, the Intelligence Committee commonly meets privately, and Tuesday’s vote on Gabbard was held throughout such a session. While the votes of members of the committee weren’t launched, assist for Gabbard has fallen alongside occasion strains, with no Democrats expressing assist.

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

Gabbard’s previous reward of Snowden drew significantly harsh questions in the course of the nomination listening to. The former National Security Agency contractor fled to Russia after he was charged with revealing labeled details about surveillance packages.

Gabbard mentioned that whereas Snowden revealed essential info about surveillance packages she believes are unconstitutional, he violated guidelines about defending labeled secrets and techniques. “Edward Snowden broke the law,” she mentioned.

A 2017 go to with Syrian President Bashar Assad is one other flash level. Assad was not too long ago deposed following a brutal civil battle wherein 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 mentioned 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 document.

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

In the most recent occasion of the “Make America Great Again” base pressuring senators to assist Trump’s nominees, Musk blasted Republican Sen. Todd Young of Indiana as a “deep-state puppet” in a now-deleted social media submit earlier than the 2 males spoke and Musk later referred to as him an ally.

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

“I have done what the framers envisioned for senators to do: use the consultative process to seek firm commitments, in this case commitments that will advance our national security,” he wrote in a press release saying his assist for Gabbard.

Klepper and Amiri write for the Associated Press.