Tulsi Gabbard's Future Could Come Down to One Republican Senator

Deputy News Editor

Former Representative Tulsi Gabbard's chances of being confirmed as the next director of national intelligence could come down to one Republican senator: Todd Young of Indiana.

Newsweek reached out to Gabbard and Young's office via email on Monday evening.

Why It Matters

President Donald Trump's Cabinet nominees have succeeded so far in being confirmed by the full Senate.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio was unanimously confirmed, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy was confirmed and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth squeaked by after Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote to get him confirmed.

Gabbard has faced an uphill battle since being tapped for DNI and was grilled last week by senators on both sides of the aisle about her views on Russia and Syria and whether she believed the former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden was a "traitor."

The Senate Intelligence Committee, which consists of 17 senators, will meet Tuesday to vote on whether to advance Gabbard's nomination to the full Senate.

What To Know

Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a key swing vote, announced her support for Gabbard on Monday.

"After extensive consideration of her nomination, I will support Tulsi Gabbard to be the Director of National Intelligence," Collins said in an emailed statement to Newsweek. "The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, however, has become far larger than it was designed to be, and Ms. Gabbard shares my vision of returning the agency to its intended size."

Collins added: "I look forward to working with Ms. Gabbard to strengthen our national security."

Oklahoma Senator James Lankford was also viewed as a possible no vote but said last month that he would back Gabbard.

"I'm glad to support @TulsiGabbard in her nomination for DNI," Lankford wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "702 authority is used to ensure the safety and security of Americans and to track terrorists before they are able to enter the United States. We are stopping attacks before they happen. I am pleased that Tulsi agrees with this position."

Lankford was referring to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which gives the U.S. authority to conduct warrantless surveillance of non-U.S. citizens located abroad.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham also threw his support behind Gabbard on Sunday, saying, "She demonstrated that she understands the importance of tools we need to protect our national security."

Young of Indiana is now in the spotlight as a final swing vote on the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Politico's Jordain Carney said on X that Young weighed in on Gabbard's nomination, saying, "You'll hear more from me tomorrow" and adding that he took part in "a lot of great conversations" over the weekend.

Young was one of the senators who quizzed Gabbard about her views on Snowden during her confirmation hearing last week.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune later told The Hill that Young appeared displeased with Gabbard's answers about Snowden.

What People Are Saying

CNN's Manu Raju said on X Monday: "GOP Sen. James Lankford tells us he's a YES on Tulsi Gabbard and spoke to her over the weekend. With Susan Collins backing her now too, it could come down to Sen. Todd Young on whether she has the votes to be approved by Senate Intel tomorrow."

Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, wrote on X: "Tulsi Gabbard has the experience, the integrity, and the judgment to keep America safe. She will make an outstanding DNI director."

Elon Musk called Young a "deep state puppet" in a since-deleted X post but later wrote: "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."

In an opinion piece for Newsweek on Monday, Gabbard wrote: "There were many questions during my confirmation hearing last week about Edward Snowden, who broke the law in 2013 by releasing a massive amount of highly sensitive classified information to the media, which included information that harmed our national security and revealed illegal and unconstitutional government programs that conducted mass surveillance of millions of Americans' data."

She added: "Given the interest by committee members about whether Edward Snowden should be called a 'traitor,' here's what I shared with the Senate Intelligence Committee in the closed session about why I do not casually throw around that term: 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."