Tulsi Gabbard testifies during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on her nomination to be US Director of National Intelligence (DNI), on Capitol Hill on January 30, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP)
WASHINGTON, United States — Donald Trump’s picks to lead the US intelligence community and top law enforcement agency were attacked over their lack of experience and past judgment calls Thursday as the Republican president’s most contentious cabinet nominees faced showstopping Senate confirmation hearings.
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Tulsi Gabbard, tapped for director of national intelligence, sat before the Senate Intelligence Committee for the most consequential confirmation hearing to date, while Kash Patel was questioned on his ambitions to head the FBI.
Article continues after this advertisementGabbard, a former Hawaiian congresswoman who ran for president as a Democrat in 2020, is considered Trump’s most vulnerable cabinet-level nominee, and her grilling was considered the biggest test of his sway over Senate Republicans since he took office.
FEATURED STORIES GLOBALNATION American Airlines confirms 60 passengers, 4 crew aboard crashed jet GLOBALNATION No survivors from plane, helicopter collision in Washington GLOBALNATION Senators defend grant of PH citizenship to Chinese businessmanAlthough no Republican publicly criticized her ahead of the hearing, Gabbard is regarded with suspicion over her past support for NSA leaker Edward Snowden, seen on both sides of Congress as having imperiled national security.
She also faced questions over her lack of national security experience, her 2017 meeting with now-deposed Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad and her peddling of Russian propaganda, particularly false conspiracy theories about the Ukraine war.
Article continues after this advertisementJust one Republican “no” vote would stop Gabbard’s nomination from making it to the Senate floor with a favorable report, and the party’s leadership has indicated that she wouldn’t get a vote without committee support.
Article continues after this advertisementTom Cotton, the panel’s Republican chairman, said he was “dismayed” by attacks on Gabbard’s patriotism and loyalty, pointing to her military career and five FBI background checks that he said showed her to be “clean as a whistle.”
Article continues after this advertisementBut Mark Warner, the top Democrat, argued that foreign allies may not be able to trust Washington with their secrets if Gabbard is put in charge of the community of 18 intelligence agencies.
‘Weaponization’
Article continues after this advertisementIn his opening statement he said the US intelligence mission “is all predicated on trust — trust that our allies will protect each other’s secrets,” according to congressional media outlet Punchbowl News.
“It appears to me you have repeatedly excused our adversaries’ worst actions and instead often blame them on the United States and those very allies,” he said.
But Gabbard hit back, arguing that her critics were upset that “I refuse to be their puppet” and saying that Trump won a clear mandate to end the “weaponization and politicization” of the intelligence community.
“I’ll begin by leading by example, checking my own personal views at the door and committing to delivering intelligence that is collected, analyzed, and reported without bias, prejudice or political influence,” she said.
On what was expected to be a day of drama on Capitol Hill, the Senate Judiciary Committee heard from FBI director-designate Kash Patel, who appears to be on a surer footing than Gabbard.
frenzy slotsDemocrats argued that he is an unrepentant conspiracy theorist and brought up a list of 60 supposed “deep state” actors — all critics of Trump — he included in a 2022 book, whom he said should be investigated or “otherwise reviled.”
Senator Dick Durbin, the panel’s top Democrat, said Patel had “neither the experience, the temperament nor the judgment to lead” the FBI.
“With Mr Patel, the President has found a loyalist,” said Durbin. “Mr Patel’s loyalty includes touting conspiracy theories and threatened efforts at President Trump’s enemies.”
Patel has denied that he has an “enemies list,” and told the committee he was merely interested in bringing lawbreakers to book.
He said in his opening statement that his priority would be to “tackle violent crime” and restore public trust in the FBI.
“The way we do this — we let good cops be cops,” he said, providing law enforcement “with the tools necessary and resources they need to get after violent crime.”
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At the same time Robert F Kennedy Jr was appearing for a second hearing on Capitol Hill, a day after coming under attack from Democrats over his history of promoting vaccine misinformationibetph, and his sudden embrace of anti-abortion policies.
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