What's New
Former Representative Tulsi Gabbard faces an uphill battle to become Donald Trump's director of national intelligence, after reportedly failing to woo senators on Capitol Hill last week.
On Tuesday, Reuters reported that eight Republican senators had expressed doubts about Trump's nomination of Gabbard to lead the nation's intelligence community.
Citing three unnamed sources, one within the Trump team and two with knowledge of the transition, the report said there were serious doubts about Gabbard's qualifications and her ability to secure the necessary votes in the Senate during her confirmation process.
Newsweek was unable to independently verify Reuters' reporting and contacted the Trump transition team and Gabbard for comment via email outside normal business hours.
Why It Matters
Trump, who is set to return to office on January 20, has seen some of his Cabinet nominees face hurdles and pushback.
Eight days after being announced as Trump's pick for attorney general, former Representative Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, on November 21, Gaetz said his confirmation was "unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition."
His withdrawal followed days of debate over whether a congressional report detailing allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use, which Gaetz denies, should be made public.
Pete Hegseth, a Fox News contributor whom the president-elect nominated for secretary of defense, has also faced intense scrutiny over his lack of relevant experience and allegations of alcohol use, sexual misconduct and the mismanagement of two veterans organizations.
What To Know
According to Reuters, the Republican senators' skepticism over Gabbard stemmed from her inability to answer "tough questions" during a series of meetings on Capitol Hill last week. Sources told the outlet that the lawmakers were also concerned about her lack of experience for the nation's top spy role and her meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2017 while serving in the House of Representatives for Hawaii's 2nd District.
Gabbard, who served in Congress as a Democrat for eight years before leaving office in 2021, officially joined the Republican Party in October. Following key victories in the 2024 congressional elections, Republicans are set to control 53 seats in the incoming Senate. With this narrow majority, the party will need to secure almost unanimous support for Gabbard's nomination if she is unable to win over senators from her former party.
What People Are Saying
Senator Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky, via X on Tuesday: "Proud to support @TulsiGabbard as Director of National Intelligence. Her military service and dedication to our Constitutional rights make her a strong choice for this critical role."
Senator Marsha Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee, in an interview with Newsmax on Tuesday: "With Tulsi, you're going to have a well-seasoned leader. She is someone who is not going to pull a lot of punches. She is going to look at the information she is given, and she's not going to politicize it. She will tell you the truth. And that is what the American people are wanting."
Senator Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat from Illinois, in an interview with Forbes on Tuesday: "I have deep concerns about the fact that she might be compromised. I mean, it was Russian-controlled media that called her a Russian asset. I also think she's not qualified for the position. She's not really done anything in the intelligence world, so I don't know that that's the right person to run our nation's intelligence agencies."
What Happens Next
According to the odds on Polymarket, the crypto-based betting platform whose users accurately predicted the presidential election, Gabbard's chances of securing the Cabinet position have dipped following the reports of her meetings on Capitol Hill last week.
Polymarket has her odds of confirmation at 60 percent, the lowest among Trump's announced picks. It marks a seven-point drop since Tuesday morning and a steep decline from the 80 percent odds Gabbard enjoyed in the days immediately after Trump nominated her for the position.
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