Tulsi Gabbard’s Nomination on Shaky Ground

“Tulsi Gabbard’s bid to become Donald Trump’s director of national intelligence is on shaky ground, with Republican lawmakers raising private concerns and the president urging her to get aggressive,” Semafor reports.

“Republicans are particularly hesitant about her past statements that some have read as too warm toward Vladimir Putin and former Syrian regime leader Bashar al-Assad, whom Gabbard met with in 2017. She’s also questioned some intelligence-gathering tools, though she recently endorsed a provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that allows warrantless surveillance of foreign targets and has the power to sweep up domestic US communications.”

Jewish Insider: “Even if Gabbard wins enough support from Republicans to get confirmed, few GOP senators are offering her a fulsome endorsement. Some senators have said Gabbard’s conversations with senators lately have been better than their impressions following an initial round of meetings. Others have mulled backing her despite serious reservations, concluding the Office of the Director of National Intelligence is not as significant a position as it once was.”