Trump goes to bat for Tulsi Gabbard amid scrutiny for intelligence post
Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s choice to be the top intelligence official, began meeting with key lawmakers this week as other Cabinet picks returned to the Capitol.
Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump’s choice to be the country’s top intelligence official, began meeting with key lawmakers this week as the president-elect’s other Cabinet picks returned to the Capitol for additional grilling from senators.
Gabbard, viewed as one of Trump’s most controversial nominees, faces scrutiny from lawmakers to become the director of national intelligence for her sympathetic views toward Russia and Syria’s newly exiled president, Bashar al-Assad.
Gabbard’s bid has been largely overshadowed by other embattled picks, including Trump’s choice to lead the Defense Department, Pete Hegseth, whom Trump reaffirmed his support for Friday in an interview with NBC News.
Hegseth currently lacks the votes to be confirmed in the Republican-led Senate after allegations about his treatment of women and consumption of alcohol surfaced.
Despite the numbers, Trump is keeping Hegseth afloat in part to shield Gabbard from standing in the spotlight on her own, according to two sources with knowledge of the transition team’s thinking.
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