President Donald Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, faced an hourslong hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday, fielding a bevy of questions related to her qualifications and previous remarks related to national security.
Gabbard appeared before the intelligence committee on Thursday morning, where she worked to rally support from lawmakers ahead of Senate committee and floor votes. Fox News Digital reported ahead of the hearing that Gabbard did not have a majority of its committee members’ votes, which are necessary to move to the full Senate, according to a senior Intel Committee aide.
Gabbard was questioned on her views of National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden repeatedly throughout the hearing, including by ranking member Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., as well as Sens. Angus King, I-Maine, Michael Bennet, D-Colo., Susan Collins, R-Maine, James Lankford, R-Okla., and others.
Gabbard was also asked about her meeting with Syrian dictator Bashar Assad in 2017, which she defended, saying she was surprised by the lack of interest at the time from the intelligence community regarding her trip. She also vowed to cut redundancies from the office of the director of national intelligence in an effort to streamline efficiency and prevent intelligence failures.
Gabbard has served as a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserves since 2021 after previously serving in the Hawaii Army National Guard for about 17 years. She was elected to the U.S. House representing Hawaii during the 2012 election cycle, serving as a Democrat until 2021. She left the Democratic Party in 2022, registering as an independent, before becoming a member of the Republican Party in 2024 and offering her full endorsement of Trump in his presidential campaign.
Gabbard has been outspoken against creating new wars, declaring in her speech in October 2024 during Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally that a vote for Harris was a vote for “war.” She also said that a vote for Trump was a vote for a man who wants to end wars, not start them, and who has demonstrated already that he has the courage and strength to stand up and fight for peace.