Former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard faced the Senate Intelligence Committee as she seeks to be confirmed as President Donald Trump's director of national intelligence.
She was among three of President Trump's nominees to face Senate questioning on Thursday, all of whom could face significant Democratic opposition. The others who went before Senate committees were secretary of Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Kash Patel, President Trump's pick to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigations.
One thing both Gabbard and Kennedy have in common is that they are former Democratic Party candidates for president. Gabbard vied for the Democratic nomination in 2020, and Kennedy ran for president as a Democrat in 2024 before becoming an independent.
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In her testimony, she accused the intelligence community of being "weaponized" against political opponents. She claimed that she was among those targeted by the intelligence community after she said she was placed on a terror watch list within 24 hours of criticizing the nomination of 2024 Democratic Party presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
The New York Times reported that intelligence officials briefly subjected her to special scrutiny on airline flights after she attended an event at the Vatican organized by a European businessman who appeared on an FBI watch list.
"President Trump’s reelection is a clear mandate from the American people to break this cycle of failure, end the weaponization/politicization of the intelligence community, and begin to restore trust in those who have been charged with the critical task of securing our nation," she said.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, said that her background checks showed that she was "clean as a whistle."
"I suspect some of my Republican colleagues might disagree with some of Ms. Gabbard's votes in the House of Representatives," Cotton said. "Just as I suspect that some of my Democratic colleagues might criticize Ms. Gabbard's statements and actions since she saw the light and left the Democratic Party. But I sincerely hope that no one today will impugn Ms. Gabbert's patriotism and integrity."
Democrats focused some of their questions on surveillance programs. She also faced questioning from Republican Sen. James Lankford on whether she thinks Edward Snowden is a "traitor."
"Was he a traitor at the time when he took America's secrets, released them in public, and then ran to China and became a Russian citizen?" Lankford asked.
"Senator, I'm focused on the future and how we can prevent something like this from happening again," Gabbard responded.
Gabbard also vowed to "assess the global threat environment" after so-called failures, including the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack, the takeover of Syria, and failures to identify the source of COVID-19.
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"I will assess the global threat environment and where gaps in our intelligence exist, integrate intelligence elements and increase information sharing, and ensure unbiased, apolitical, objective collection and analysis to support the president and policymakers’ decision-making," she said.
But some Democrats have expressed concern that she does not have the requisite experience to lead national intelligence. While many past directors of national intelligence had political experience, many of them also had experience in diplomacy or national security.
Gabbard served in the National Guard and later was on the House Committee on Homeland Security for one term. She also served on the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
As director of national intelligence, she would play a key role in national security for the White House. Her agency is tasked with preparing the president's daily briefing and overseeing the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council for intelligence matters related to national security.
Her confirmation requires a majority of 100 senators. There are 53 Republicans in the Senate.
