At least so far, only one of Donald Trump’s cabinet choices has collapsed in the face of bipartisan opposition: Former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida was chosen to lead the Justice Department, only to withdraw from consideration eight days later.
It’s possible, however, that former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, the president-elect’s choice to serve as director of national intelligence, might yet meet a similar fate.
About a month ago, The Hill reported that the Hawaiian had “struggled” during her meetings with unimpressed senators. One GOP senator went so far as to say that there have been “a lot of eyerolls” from members who’d sat down for meetings with Gabbard. (Neither MSNBC nor NBC News independently confirmed The Hill’s report, though NBC News did report that she was confronting some opposition from Senate Republicans.)
A month later, her problems apparently persist. The Wall Street Journal reported this week on some Senate Republicans leaving recent meetings with “reservations” about her qualifications.
In her meeting with Sen. James Lankford (R., Okla.), Gabbard couldn’t clearly articulate what the role of director of national intelligence entails, two Senate Republican aides and a Trump transition official said. When she met with Sen. Mike Rounds (R., S.D.), Gabbard seemed confused about a key U.S. national-security surveillance power, a top legislative priority for nearly every member on the Senate Intelligence Committee, conflating it with other issues, the aides said.
The same report, which has not been independently verified by MSNBC or NBC News, added that Rounds asked the prospective nominee how she would handle specific elements of the DNI position. According to the Journal, Gabbard “said she would have to wait to see when she gets there.”
There are plenty of reasons to be concerned about the former congresswoman’s prospective nomination. Gabbard has little background in intelligence work; she’s been accused of “repeatedly echoing propaganda spread by Russia”; she repeatedly defended Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian regime; and she’s been condemned by former national security officials. In case that weren’t quite enough, foreign officials have reportedly expressed concern about sharing sensitive intelligence with the United States government if she’s confirmed. With this in mind, it would appear Gabbard has a high hurdle to clear to demonstrate to senators that she’s up to the job — and her ongoing efforts aren’t exactly wowing anyone on Capitol Hill. That said, Senate Republicans might very well vote to confirm her anyway — not because she’s qualified, but because Trump wants and expects them to. Oklahoma’s Lankford, for example, reportedly heard Gabbard struggle while talking about what the DNI actually does, but the senator nevertheless appeared on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” this past weekend and said he intends to support her prospective nomination. If Senate Democrats are united in opposition to Gabbard, it will take four Senate Republicans to block her confirmation. To date, only one GOP senator — Utah’s John Curtis — has expressed public skepticism about Gabbard.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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