Dem
47
GOP
53
Now that Pete Hegseth has the endorsement of Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), he might well be confirmed, even though probably 90% of the Republican senators know very well that would put the country at great risk. That means the most endangered nominee now becomes Tulsi Gabbard, who Donald Trump picked to be DNI. Not only does she know nothing about national intelligence, but many people, including members of the Senate, think she is at best a "useful idiot" and at worst an actual Russian asset. Last week, nearly 100 former security officials signed a letter urging the Senate to "carefully evaluate" her before voting on her confirmation.
As if that wasn't enough, a couple of new problems have cropped up. For one, her past support for Edward Snowden, who leaked national security information, is becoming an issue. Some people praise Snowden for his bravery, but the DNI is not supposed to encourage people to leak national security information. That's something journalists can do, but not the DNI, whose job is keeping secrets, well, secret.
When Gabbard was in the House as a representative from Hawaii, she introduced a resolution urging that all charges against Snowden be dropped. This did not go over well with members of Congress steeped in intelligence work. Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said: "I don't think Edward Snowden is a patriot by any means. He's a traitor to his own nation." Lankford might just have a few questions for her about this during her confirmation hearing. Gabbard made a feeble attempt to defend Snowden. This resulted in the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, Jim Himes (D-CT) saying: "She's full of sh**." Of course, he doesn't get to vote on her confirmation, but now both Republicans and Democrats on intelligence committees have made it clear what they feel about her, and that could influence the vote.
The other problem: money. Even though Gabbard was elected to the House as a Democrat, she has been functionally a Republican ever since leaving Congress. In fact, she discovered that being a nominal Democrat but espousing Donald Trump's positions made her a valuable commodity in right-wing circles. She quickly sought to monetize her new fame as a MAGA-loving "Democrat." It turns out that she made over $1.2 million last year exploiting her new celebrity. She made $200,000 as a Fox News contributor, $120,000 as a media "consultant" for the right-wing American Center for Law and Justice, and $170,000 from speaking engagements at the Heritage Foundation and similar venues. She also has several businesses that basically sell Tulsi Gabbard. Being a charismatic very-Trumpy "Democrat" definitely has its rewards.
So she is an unprincipled opportunist, in addition to everything else. Might she use her DNI position in a similar way? The DNI is supposed to one of the most secretive people in the government, even more secretive than the CIA director, because the DNI is in charge of all the spy agencies, not just one. Is someone who loves the limelight and freely expresses her opinions on everything the right person to be the country's top spy? It is something that may give at least some senators something to consider. (V)