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Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) announced on Monday that she would support Tulsi Gabbard to become the director of national intelligence, one of the most critical roles in President Donald Trump’s cabinet.
“After extensive consideration of her nomination, I will support Tulsi Gabbard to be the Director of National Intelligence,” Collins said in a statement.
Collins was considered to be the key swing vote for Gabbard’s controversial nomination to advance out of the Senate Intelligence Committee, which has a 9-8 partisan split – meaning Gabbard could not afford to lose any GOP votes. Collins told the Hill last week she still had concerns about Gabbard’s commitment to intelligence gathering, a key issue Collins has long worked on.
The Hill’s Al Weaver summed up his conversation with Collins, writing, “Gabbard has sought to walk back her past criticism of the program, but Collins told The Hill she doesn’t necessarily believe Gabbard’s change of heart,” referring to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which had become a sticking point for several Republican senators. Gabbard, once a Bernie Sanders-aligned Democrat, had backed legislation in the past to revoke Section 702, which allows for foreign intelligence gathering.
“There are a lot of obvious issues,” Collins told Weaver, adding, “Her answers to the written questions were very hedged on it. I know there’s been a lot of reporting that she’s changed her position. That’s not how I read her answers. I read them as, ‘I’ll take a look at the reforms and see if they meet my concerns.”
Collins addressed some of her concerns in her Monday statement, adding, “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.”
“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. In response to my questions during our discussion in my office and at the open hearing, as well as through her explanation at the closed hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Ms. Gabbard addressed my concerns regarding her views on Edward Snowden. I look forward to working with Ms. Gabbard to strengthen our national security,” Collins concluded.
Gabbard ruffled feathers with Senate Republicans during her confirmation hearing last week as she refused to say whether or not she believed Snowden committed treason when leaking classified information. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) found himself being attacked by Elon Musk over the weekend over his tough questioning of Gabbard and has yet to say how he will vote on her nomination. Musk eventually reversed course on Young, who he called a “deep state puppet,” after they had an “excellent” conversation.
