Lindsey Graham Hesitates On Trump’s Director Of National Intelligence Pick

The top line

Senators will hold hearings next week to question former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard as President Donald Trump’s nominee for national intelligence.

Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, President Donald Trump’s nominee to become director of national intelligence. 8 Speaks of the day about living [+] Hart walks through the atrium in the Senate office building on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024.

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Time line

January 26 Sen. Lindsey Graham, Rs. told NBC He is inclined to vote for all of Trump’s nominees, but he “listens to how the hearings go,” particularly Gabbard’s controversial visit to Syria and her previous for National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden. “Want to see it,” referring to the call.

What to see

Gabbard, or any of Trump’s nominees, can’t afford to miss more than three votes to confirm, assuming all Democrats vote against them. Several Republican-Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, during the confirmation process for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Heggsett was eventually confirmed, but Vice President J.D. Vance needed to cast the tie-breaking vote.

When is Gabbard’s confirmation hearing?

January 30, before the Senate Intelligence Committee.

What is the Director of National Intelligence?

The Director of National Intelligence serves as the head of the Intelligence Community, a group of more than a dozen spy agencies such as the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency. There was a post It was then created The September 11 attacks, which were partly blamed on the failure of US intelligence services to share information. The Director also advises the President on intelligence matters and prepares the President’s Daily Brief, a digest of national security information. Trump’s selection of Gabbard reflects his longstanding distrust of intelligence agencies, which stretches back to his first term.

Who is Tulsi Gabbard?

In 2002, at age 21, Gabbard became the youngest person elected to serve in the Hawaii state legislature. He joined the Army National Guard in 2003 and served a year in Iraq before joining the Army Reserve in 2020. He represented Hawaii’s 2nd congressional district. Democrat from 2013-2021 and was seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party early in his political career. She ran for president in 2020 before abandoning and endorsing Joe Biden. He was known for clashing with other Democratic candidates, particularly on foreign policy.

Why did Gabbard leave the Democratic Party?

Gabbard announced in 2022 that she was leaving the party to become an independent, calling it “an elite cabal of cowardly vigilante-driven warmongers” in a video announcement. She became a frequent guest on conservative news programs over the next two years and appeared alongside Trump before announcing in October that she was joining the Republican Party and endorsing Trump. “Today’s Democrat Party is completely unrecognizable,” Gabbard declared alongside Trump at a rally in Greensboro.

What happened to Gabbard and Harris during the 2019 debate?

Gabbard’s confrontation with then-Sen. Kamala Harris had a breakout moment in her longshot campaign during the debate. Despite coming out to Biden, Gabbard highlighted Harris’ role in bringing about marijuana-related convictions during Harris’ time as a prosecutor in California.

What are Gabbard’s foreign policy views?

Gabbard has taken a controversial stance on US military involvement in foreign conflicts, describing himself as a “dove” when it comes to “wars of regime change” but “against terrorists”. War” on “Hawk”.

Why is Gabbard controversial – and what does Gabbard think about Russia and Syria?

In addition to changing her political stance, Gabbard has spoken with and defended America’s enemies, including Russia and Syria. He has accused the Biden administration of promoting Russia’s war with Ukraine and argued against Ukraine’s entry into NATO. He was also accused U.S.-funded biolabs in Ukraine may leak dangerous pathogens, after Russia made baseless claims that the U.S. and Ukraine were operating biological weapons facilities in Ukraine (although they did not specifically repeat BioPeon’s claim). appear). Gabbard met with former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who terrorized his own people in the country’s civil war, in 2017 and during 2019. MSNBC interview He is “not an enemy of the United States,” though he later called Assad a “brutal dictator.” During her time in Congress, Gabbard called on the US government to drop its charges against Snowden, who was accused of violating the Espionage Act for leaking national defense information. was Because of these positions, some Democrats are Accused him A claim to sympathize with the Russian government Long time denial.

What do Republicans say about Gabbard?

So far, no Republican senators have said they will vote against Gabbard, but several, in addition to Graham, including Sens. Susan Collins, R-Man, John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Mike Rounds, R-Texas. D. Collins specifically refers to his views on Russia as a deterrent. Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla. , also initially questioned whether Gabbard would support Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows the US government to conduct surveillance on non-citizens abroad without a warrant. Gabbard voted against the legislation during her time in Congress, but reversed course after being nominated for director of national intelligence, issuing a statement earlier this month. Lankford said he would publicly support Section 702 once it is ratified.