Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's pick for Director National Intelligence to appear before Senate Intelligence Committee for confirmation hearing

Washington, DC [US], January 30 : US President Donald Trump's pick for Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, on Thursday, will face what could be the toughest confirmation hearing of any of his top nominees as Democrats and some Republicans have been preparing to question Gabbard about her visit to Syria in 2017, her statements in support of Russia and her concerns regarding domestic surveillance powers, The Washington Post reported.
According to two congressional officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss Trump's nominee, said her approval by the Senate Intelligence Committee to be director of national intelligence is far from assured.
A Senate aide said, "She definitely doesn't have the votes right now" to advance out of the intelligence committee." The panel comprises nine Republican and eight Democratic members, implying a single Republican "no" vote could hinder Gabbard's chances, The Washington Post reported.
Gabbard, who is a former Army Reserve lieutenant colonel, Democratic congresswoman and presidential candidate in 2020 who turned Republican last year, has at times called the tens of thousands of intelligence personnel she would oversee as members of "deep state." She has also raised questions over the US intelligence findings on the former Syrian regime's use of chemical weapons on its own people, and has echoed Kremlin's views about the cause of Russia launching war in Ukraine.
Democrats, led by committee vice chair Senator Mark R Warner, are expected to ask Gabbard about her visit to Syria in 2017, where she met then-Syrian President Bashar al-Assad while he was placed under sanctions by the US and accused of widespread human rights abuses.
Some Republicans, including Senator Susan Collins, have concerns regarding Gabbard's past opposition to a powerful intelligence surveillance tool under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Gabbard, who had cited privacy concerns regarding the powers, has recently not opposed the program, which US security officials consider important in combating terrorism, weapons proliferation and drug trafficking.
Showcasing the uneasy state of her nomination, Senate Republicans have spoken about several unorthodox ways to push it through. Under one scenario, according to another congressional official, the committee would not follow past practice and vote on Gabbard in public instead of behind closed doors. Alternately, the committee could advance her nomination to the full Senate floor without voting on it. It is not clear whether committee chairman Senator Tom Cotton would give his nod to either way.
Gabbard has strong support among Trump's allies, who consider her as an independent thinker who will bring needed change to US spy agencies that, they believe, have tried to undermine Trump and have repeatedly misread world events. As she prepared for the confirmation hearing, Tulsi Gabbard has won over some initial skeptics.

Robert O' Brien, who served as Trump's national security adviser during the final part of his first term and has been briefing Gabbard in recent weeks, said, "I was concerned about her because she ran for president as a left-wing Democrat, but I think she listens -- which is unusual for a politician -- she asks great questions that go to the heart of the issue and she's a total patriot." According to him, Gabbard has embraced Trump's 'America First' national security agenda.
O'Brien and several other former intelligence and security officials who served in mostly Republican administrations on Monday wrote a letter to Tom Cotton and Warner urging Gabbard's confirmation, The Washington Post reported.
Ahead of the hearing, Gabbard has been preparing for it and has visited the Northern Virginia headquarters of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and met several times with President Joe Biden's Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Avril Haines, according to Gabbard spokeswoman Alexa Henning, The Washington Post reported.
Henning said Tulsi Gabbard has spoken to others who served in the role, including Ric Grenell, John Negroponte and John Ratcliffe, who is now Trump's CIA director. She said Gabbard has met with all Republican members of the Intelligence Committee and some Democrats.
While serving as director of national intelligence, Gabbard would coordinate the work of 18 intelligence agencies and bureaus. The intelligence chief has authority over the roughly USD 100 billion annual intelligence budget, holds powers to declassify US secrets and is considered US President's top intelligence adviser. The DNI does not have direct control over daily operations at the CIA or other agencies.