Gabbard closer to confirmation after Collins vows support

Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) is one of Trump's nominees who will have a hard time getting passed.

After she was nominated, I said it was likely that Vance could decide her nomination with a tie-breaking vote, but that may not be needed.

The Resistance

As I have stated, even I was not sold on Gabbard as the DNI, as I had her tagged to lead Veterans Affairs, I could be convinced. She is passionate about our service members, and when Trump said he wanted her in his administration, I thought it would be an ideal fit.

When she was announced as the Director of National Intelligence, just about every Dem said “no,” and there were also quite a few Republicans.

Senator Collins (R-ME) was at the head of that pack, having already voted “no” against Hegseth. She has no problem walking across party lines, and the same can be said for Senator Murkowski (R-AK), who is no fan of Trump to begin with.

Senator Todd Young (R-IN) clearly had some issues with Gabbard, and he appeared to be on the fence. Senator McConnell (R-KY) also appeared to be a possible “no” vote, having also opposed Hegseth. Senator Graham (R-S.C.) expressed some hesitation and Senator Curtis (R-UT) said he needed “more information” from Gabbard, so he was clearly on the fence.

Collins Flips

There was nobody more shocked than I when Senator Collins announced that she would now back Gabbard for the position.

She stated, “After extensive consideration of her nomination, I will support Tulsi Gabbard to be the Director of National Intelligence.

“As one of the principal authors of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 that established this coordinating position, I understand the critical role the DNI plays in the Intelligence community.”

She concluded, “After extensive consideration, conversations with her in my office, attending the hearing and questioning her there, and listening to her in the closed session, I decided to vote — that I will vote for her.”

Graham Comes Around

Graham also confirmed that he would “be a yes on her” over the weekend. This was largely due to how well Gabbard performed during her hearing.

Graham added, "I've actually served in a Reserve unit with Tulsi. I've always liked her. I think a lot of her criticism against her has been really mean and off-base. She's shown her understanding of how vital 702 is."

To be honest, I was stunned when I heard criticism of Gabbard in not being properly prepared for her meetings with Senators before her hearings. During the 2020 debate season, Gabbard proved to be exceptionally prepared to the point she singlehandedly ended the Harris campaign.

I would be lying if I said I was 100% confident in Gabbard, but I have gone from being about 20% to 75% on her. As I stated, she did exceptionally well in her hearing, and I now believe she has convinced most she can handle the job. It will still be tight, and we still may need Vance to break the tie, but I will go out on a limb and say that Gabbard is very likely to get confirmed.