Before the confirmation vote, Gabbard secures the support of two key GOP senators

ABC News

The Senate Intelligence Committee is expected to vote on former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination for Director of National Intelligence in a closed-door session Tuesday afternoon.
Gabbard, a former Democratic Hawaii Congresswoman turned Republican, picked up two key Republican votes on Monday from Sens.
Gabbard can only afford to lose one Republican vote on the committee.
Young is believed to be the final key vote needed for Gabbard’s nomination to move from the committee to the Senate floor.
Young declined to tell reporters how he’ll vote for Gabbard on Monday.

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The former Rep will likely be up for a vote by the Senate Intelligence Committee. During a private meeting on Tuesday afternoon, Tulsi Gabbard was nominated to be the Director of National Intelligence. The vote comes after Gabbard’s sometimes heated confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill on Thursday, during which she was questioned about her opinions of Edward Snowden, the government secrets leaker, and her refusal to call him a traitor.

Sens. gave Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii who is now a Republican, two crucial Republican votes on Monday. Collins Susan and Lankford James. Her previous remarks regarding Snowden and her opposition to government monitoring programs had drawn criticism from both. On the committee, Gabbard can only afford to lose one Republican vote.

Lawmakers from both parties urged Gabbard on several occasions during Thursday’s hearing to deny her prior backing of Snowden, a former intelligence contractor who left the country with over a million classified documents. Snowden was referred to by Gabbard as a “brave” whistleblower who revealed abuses of civil liberties by the intelligence community. She introduced legislation in Congress that said the Federal Government should drop all charges against Snowden because his disclosure of this program to journalists was in the public interest. “.”.

Even though Gabbard consistently claimed that Snowden “broke the law,” she did not retract her earlier claims and refused to label him a “traitor” in spite of repeated requests from senators of both parties.

Gabbard stated in a Newsweek opinion piece published over the weekend that she gave an explanation for her refusal to refer to him as such during the closed session of her confirmation hearing.

“Presidents like former US Senator Mitt Romney and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have defamed me, Donald Trump Jr., despite the fact that treason is a capital offense that carries a death sentence. and others with unfounded charges of treason. The facts, not the label, must be the main focus. As an alternative to leaking to the media, Snowden ought to have brought up his concerns regarding unlawful surveillance with the Inspector General or the Intelligence Committee. “.

Gabbard also offered a four-point plan to stop Snowden-style leaks in the future. These include monitoring to make sure that no unlawful intelligence gathering programs are in place, limiting access to sensitive information, educating government employees about their legal rights as whistleblowers, and setting up a hotline where whistleblowers can reach Gabbard directly.

Gabbard previously opposed government surveillance programs under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which permits the U.S. S. Without a warrant, the government can obtain non-Americans’ electronic communications while they are abroad. Gabbard, who voted against the provision while serving in Congress, claimed that the program’s modifications since her departure were sufficient to win her support.

Of all of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees, Gabbard may have the most challenging path to confirmation. She can’t afford to lose any committee votes from Republicans. On Tuesday, there will likely be a vote on her nomination during a private confirmation session.

According to an ABC News source familiar with the proceedings, recently confirmed CIA Director John Ratcliffe, former NSA adviser Robert O’Brien, and former Sen. On Gabbard’s behalf, former Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Richard Burr has been phoning senators. According to a source, Gabbard has also spoken with senators since her hearing.

The weekend saw GOP Sen. Trump allies and Gabbard put pressure on Todd Young. It is thought that Young will be the last crucial vote required for Gabbard’s nomination to advance from the committee to the Senate floor.

Elon Musk called Young a “deep state puppet” in a since-deleted X tweet. But a few hours later, Musk took down the post and tweeted, “I just had a great talk with @SenToddYoung. I have been corrected. Restoring the people’s authority from the massive, unelected bureaucracy will be greatly aided by Senator Young. “.”.

“Any Senator who votes against @TulsiGabbard for DNI isn’t just going to have a problem with MAGA and Trump – I will make it my personal mission to help campaign and fundraise against you in your next election,” tweeted Meghan McCain, a close ally of Gabbard, adding her support over the weekend. Additionally, my people are most likely very similar to theirs,” she continued.

Young and Gabbard had a heated exchange during her hearing, despite Young’s refusal to support Trump during his presidential campaign.

Young inquired, “Did [Snowden] betray the trust of the American people?”.

“Edward Snowden broke the law,” Gabbard retorted, “and he disclosed this information in an improper manner. “..”.

Young refused to tell reporters how he would cast his Monday vote for Gabbard.

This report was produced by Allison Pecorin and Lucien Bruggeman of ABC News.

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