Senate committee advances Tulsi Gabbard's nomination to be intel chief
The Senate Intelligence Committee voted to advance former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard's nomination for director of national intelligence in a closed-door session on Tuesday afternoon.
Gabbard advanced in a 9-8 vote along party lines, according to senators leaving the meeting. All Republicans voted in favor of Gabbard while all Democrats opposed her, according to a source familiar with the vote.
The vote followed Gabbard's at-times contentious confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill last Thursday, where she was grilled over her views on government secrets leaker Edward Snowden and her refusal to label him a traitor.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune can now begin to move her nomination to the full floor for consideration. A final vote will likely take place later this week or early next week.
Gabbard, a former Democratic Hawaii member of Congress turned Republican, picked up three key Republican votes on Monday from Sens. Susan Collins, James Lankford and Todd Young. They had previously been critical of her past statements on Snowden and her opposition to government surveillance programs. Gabbard can only afford to lose one Republican vote on the committee.
During Thursday's hearing, lawmakers from both parties repeatedly pressed Gabbard to disavow her past support of Snowden, a former intelligence contractor who fled the country with more than 1 million classified records. Gabbard previously described Snowden as a "brave" whistleblower who exposed civil liberties violations by the intelligence community. While in Congress, she introduced legislation stating that "Snowden's disclosure of this program to journalists was in the public interest, and the Federal Government should drop all charges."
While Gabbard repeatedly stated that Snowden "broke the law," she did not back away from her previous statements and refused to call him a "traitor" despite being asked several times by senators from both parties.
In an op-ed in Newsweek over the weekend, Gabbard wrote that she explained in the closed session in her confirmation hearing why she refused to call him that.
"Treason is a capital offense, punishable by death, yet politicians like former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former US Senator Mitt Romney have slandered me, Donald Trump Jr. and others with baseless accusations of treason. It is essential to focus on the facts, not the label. Snowden should have raised his concerns about illegal surveillance through authorized channels, such as the Inspector General or the Intelligence Committee, instead of leaking to the media."
Gabbard also presented a four-point plan to prevent future Snowden-like leaks, which includes oversight to ensure there are no illegal intelligence collection programs, minimizing access to sensitive intelligence, informing government workers about legal options for whistleblowers, and creating a hotline for whistleblowers to contact Gabbard directly.
Several senators questioned Gabbard's past opposition to government surveillance programs under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which allows the U.S. government to collect electronic communications of non-Americans outside the country without a warrant. Gabbard, who voted against the provision as a member of Congress, said changes made to the program since she left office were enough to earn her support.
Gabbard faces perhaps the most difficult route to confirmation of all of President Donald Trump's Cabinet picks. She cannot afford to lose any Republican votes in the committee. Her nomination is expected to be voted on during a closed-door confirmation session on Tuesday.
A source with knowledge of the proceedings told ABC News that newly confirmed CIA Director John Ratcliffe, former NSA adviser Robert O'Brien and former Sen. Richard Burr, a former Senate Intelligence Committee chairman, have been making calls to senators on Gabbard's behalf. Gabbard has also talked to senators since her hearing, a source said.
Over the weekend, Young faced pressure from Gabbard and Trump allies, but on Tuesday, Young, who was believed to be the final key vote needed for Gabbard's nomination to move from the committee to the Senate floor, announced he would support her.
"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," Young posted. "Having now secured these commitments, I will support Tulsi's nomination and look forward to working with her to protect our national security."
In a now-deleted post on X ahead over the weekend, Elon Musk said Young was a "deep state puppet." However, hours later, Musk deleted the post and said, "Just had an excellent conversation with @SenToddYoung. I stand corrected. Senator Young will be a great ally in restoring power to the people from the vast, unelected bureaucracy."
Meghan McCain, a close ally of Gabbard, also voiced her support over the weekend, posting, "Any Senator who votes against @TulsiGabbard for DNI isn't just going to have a problem with MAGA and Trump - I will make it my personal mission to help campaign and fundraise against you in your next election. And my people are probably a lot like their people," she added.
Young, who did not endorse Trump in his presidential campaign, had a heated exchange with Gabbard during her hearing.
"Did [Snowden] betray the trust of the American people?" Young asked.
"Edward Snowden broke the law," Gabbard responded, "and he released this information in a way that he should not have."
ABC News' Lucien Bruggeman and Allison Pecorin contributed to this report.
