Republicans rally behind Tulsi Gabbard ahead of committee vote



Republican Sen. Todd Young of Indiana committed on Tuesday to voting in favor of Tulsi Gabbard's nomination to serve as director of national intelligence. Young was the last Republican holdout left on the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is set to vote on Gabbard's nomination Tuesday afternoon.

Young's endorsement of Gabbard came the morning after Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine also came out in support of the nominee. Both Young and Collins expressed hesitancy about Gabbard following her fiery hearing last Thursday but have since changed their tone in favor of the nominee.

'Senator Young will be a great ally in restoring power to the people from the vast, unelected bureaucracy.'

"I appreciate Tulsi Gabbard's engagement with me on a variety of issues to ensure that our intelligence professionals will be supported and policymakers will receive unbiased information under her leadership," Young said in a Tuesday post on X. "I have done what the Framers envisioned for senators to do: use the consultative process to seek firm commitments, in this case commitments that will advance our national security, which is my top priority as a former Marine Corps intelligence officer."

"Having now secured these commitments, I will support Tulsi's nomination and look forward to working with her to protect our national security," Young added.

Young came under fire for his hesitation on Gabbard last week, prompting an online pressure campaign from Gabbard's supporters. Most notably, tech mogul Elon Musk called Young a "deep state puppet," likely referring to his lack of support for Gabbard.

Musk promptly deleted the post and later said that he had a productive conversation with Young, leading some to speculate that he may have influenced Young's vote on Gabbard.

"Just had an excellent conversation with Sen. Todd Young," Musk said. "I stand corrected. Senator Young will be a great ally in restoring power to the people from the vast, unelected bureaucracy."

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Senate committee to hold secret vote for Tulsi Gabbard, report says



The Senate Intelligence Committee will hold a secret vote on Tuesday on whether to advance Tulsi Gabbard's nomination to serve as director of national intelligence, according to Politico.

The closed-door vote is set to take place less than a week after Gabbard's fiery confirmation hearing on Thursday. Despite Gabbard's disciplined performance, it's unclear if the nominee has the votes to clear the committee.

After witnessing the incredibly effective pressure campaign from MAGA allies, it seems that senators are trying to further insulate themselves by holding a secret vote for Gabbard.

The Senate Intelligence Committee is composed of 15 senators, eight Republicans and seven Democrats. Assuming all Democrats vote against Gabbard, she will need every GOP vote on the panel to clear the first hurdle.

That being said, Gabbard was grilled by both Republicans and Democrats, most notably about her past support of NSA leaker Edward Snowden. The bipartisan disapproval of Gabbard's past stance on Snowden may pose a threat to her confirmation being advanced.

Despite some of the holdups, Gabbard is not the first of President Donald Trump's nominees to face pushback from Republicans.

Newly confirmed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was slated for a tough confirmation battle after Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa began lobbying against him. While there was backroom pressure to tank Hegseth, Trump and his base led a profoundly effective pressure campaign and secured his confirmation.

Hegseth was narrowly cleared in the Senate after Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote. Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky voted against Hegseth.

After witnessing the incredibly effective pressure campaign from MAGA allies, it seems that senators are trying to further insulate themselves by holding a secret vote for Gabbard.

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Top Senate Democrat issues threat to Biden for stonewalling Congress on his classified docs scandal



Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) blasted President Joe Biden on Sunday for stonewalling lawmakers about the extent of his classified documents scandal.

At the end of an interview on CBS News' "Face the Nation," moderator Margaret Brennan asked Warner, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, whether the Biden administration has been forthcoming with details about Biden's improper retention of classified documents.

But according to Warner, the White House is not being transparent.

"We need more information about these documents," Warner said. "More importantly, we need to make sure that what the intel community has done to mitigate the harm. And we're still in conversations with the Justice Department.

"The administration's position does not pass the smell test," Warner added.

The Virginia Democrat suggested lawmakers are prepared to use "additional tools" to compel Biden to give lawmakers the details they want about his scandal. One action Congress can take, Warner threatened, is to restrict spending.

"We've got some additional tools. We can restrict some of the spending. We're in active conversations with the Justice Department. But we've got to get those documents," the senator said.

Sen. Mark Warner on "Face the Nation," March 26, 2023 | full interview youtu.be

A group of bipartisan lawmakers from the Senate and House received an intelligence briefing about the classified documents scandal last month. Lawmakers, however, were left with more questions than answers.

Not only can Congress restrict government spending if the Biden administration refuses to comply, but Warner has already threatened the controversial reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The program empowers the government to conduct sweeping warrantless surveillance on foreign persons, but it can sometimes sweep intelligence on Americans.

Outrage over government officials not acting in a transparent manner about the classified documents is one of the few issues generating bipartisan support in the halls of Congress these days.

At the conclusion of a recent Senate Intelligence Committee meeting, ranking member Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said, "A special counsel cannot have veto authority over Congress' ability to do its job. This is going to be addressed one way or the other."

"Amen," Warner responded.

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