Key Points and Summary: Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump’s nominee for Director of National Intelligence, faces a contentious confirmation process.
-A former Democrat and Army National Guard veteran, Gabbard’s journey from Congress to Trump ally has raised eyebrows.
-Concerns over missing vetting documents, her evolving stance on Section 702 of FISA, and past controversial remarks about NATO and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have drawn scrutiny from Democrats and some Republicans.
-Critics also cite her 2017 meeting with Syria’s Bashar al-Assad. While Gabbard struggles to win over Senate skeptics, most Republican lawmakers are expected to support her, wary of opposing a Trump nominee publicly.
Can Tulsi Gabbard Win Senate Support as Director of National Intelligence?
Quite a few of Donald Trump’s nominations for cabinet positions were unlikely, but few more than Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s pick to serve as Director of National Intelligence.
An Army National Guard veteran who served in Iraq, Gabbard entered politics as a Democrat, first elected to Congress as a Representative from Hawaii in 2012. Gabbard eventually rose to vice chair of the Democratic National Committee and ran for president in the 2020 primaries, although she had a drawn-out falling out with the Democratic Party.
Gabbard resigned from the DNC in 2016, over her belief that Sen. Bernie Sanders wasn’t given a fair shot in his primary campaign that year, and her 2020 presidential run is best remembered for some debate clashes with rival candidate Kamala Harris.
During the presidential transition in 2016, when she was still a Democratic member of Congress, Gabbard met with Donald Trump at Trump Tower and was reported at the time to be under consideration for administration jobs.
After leaving Congress, Gabbard became an independent in 2022 and joined the Republican Party in 2024, when she endorsed Trump.
While Pete Hegseth’s confirmation hearing Tuesday ended with the Pentagon pick seen as likely to win confirmation, it’s been tougher sledding for Gabbard’s nomination thus far.
The Washington Examiner reported this week that Gabbard’s hearing is “in limbo,” “amid concerns from Democrats over missing vetting materials.” Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee said that as of Monday, they had not received an FBI background check or ethics disclosures.
“Particularly in the national security context, it’s critical that you have these documents,” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), who sits on that committee, told the newspaper. “We’re going to insist on these documents before we go forward. I mean, that’s just kind of a nonnegotiable. You can’t do ‘advice and consent’ without it.”
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that Gabbard’s “charm offensive” hasn’t exactly won over skeptical Republican senators, although those senators are still expected to support her. However, per the Journal, “further missteps could jeopardize her nomination as Trump prepares to take office.”
Citing Congressional aides, the Journal reported that in meetings with senators, Gabbard “couldn’t clearly articulate what the role of director of national intelligence entails” and “seemed confused about a key U.S. national-security surveillance power, a top legislative priority for nearly every member on the Senate Intelligence Committee.”
The Trump transition team also declined to make Gabbard available for an interview with the Journal, although that’s fairly typical for pending cabinet nominees.
Gabbard had said in the past that she opposes Section 702 of FISA but released a statement last week stating that she no longer does. According to the Journal report, the nominee “conflated Section 702 of FISA with a much more traditional form of narrow surveillance known as Title I of FISA,” during her meeting with one of the senators.
That’s one of the stances Gabbard has taken that’s contrary to the views of many Republican Senators.
She has also fallen under scrutiny for blaming NATO for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and her meeting in 2017 with Syria’s then-dictator, Bashar al-Assad.
Also this week, Politico reported that Democrats’ “targeting” of Hegseth as “opening a path” for Gabbard.

Tulsi Gabbard on Fox News. Image Credit: Fox News Screengrab.
“The disproportionate attention to Hegseth’s appointment by the press and senators in both parties, as demonstrated in the hearing’s onslaught of pointed questions from Democrats and the robust Republican defense, has been a gift to Gabbard,” the report said.
One aide told Politico that “in a secret ballot, she’d lose at least 15 Republicans (and that may be a conservative estimate).” However, in the real world Senate confirmation votes are public, and any GOP senator would risk earning the wrath of Trump — and a possible primary challenge — if they go against one of his nominees.
Author Expertise and Experience
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
