Senator Collins Makes Statement About Gabbard
After facing early skepticism from some Senate Republicans, former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination for Director of National Intelligence (DNI) is gaining momentum, with key endorsements signaling that she may have the votes needed to clear the Senate Intelligence Committee and move to a full floor vote.
Gabbard, known for her independent streak and foreign policy realism, faced sharp questioning during her confirmation hearing last Thursday. Democrats aggressively challenged her, while some Republicans raised concerns over her 2017 trip to Syria and her refusal to call Edward Snowden a “traitor.” These factors led to uncertainty over whether she could win enough Republican support to advance her nomination.
NEW: Susan Collins will support Tulsi Gabbard. Huge sign that Gabbard’s chances for DNI confirmation are on the right track pic.twitter.com/sjPfIn2lIF
— Max Cohen (@maxpcohen) February 3, 2025
Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), a vocal supporter of Gabbard, warned after the hearing that some of his GOP colleagues seemed hesitant, putting her nomination in jeopardy. But on Monday, Gabbard received a major boost when Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), a crucial moderate, announced she would support both her committee vote and final confirmation.
In a carefully considered statement, Collins praised Gabbard’s vision for reforming ODNI, specifically her commitment to shrinking the agency and removing political bias from intelligence operations.
Todd Young: "you'll hear more from me tomorrow" on Gabbard
Says he had "a lot of great conversations" over the weekend
— Jordain Carney (@jordainc) February 3, 2025
“After extensive consideration of her nomination, I will support Tulsi Gabbard to be the Director of National Intelligence,” Collins said. “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.”
Collins also noted that Gabbard’s private responses to concerns over Snowden helped solidify her support.
With Collins in the “yes” column, all attention now shifts to Senators Todd Young (R-IN) and Jerry Moran (R-KS), two remaining Republicans on the Intelligence Committee whose votes will likely determine whether Gabbard moves forward.
Where the Remaining Votes Stand
- Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) pressed Gabbard hard on whether Snowden was a traitor and was clearly frustrated by her response. While Young has not publicly committed to a vote, he declined to answer on Monday, saying everyone would have to wait until Tuesday.
- Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) had a tense exchange with Gabbard, asking whether Russia would get "a pass in either your mind or your heart." However, by the end of the hearing, Moran admitted that Gabbard had answered questions "to my satisfaction." This could signal he is leaning toward a yes vote.
- Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), initially viewed as undecided, confirmed Thursday that he would vote for Gabbard.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk waded into the debate over the weekend, blasting Todd Young as a “deep state puppet” on X, before later deleting the post and speaking positively about the Indiana senator.
Sensing the need to solidify support, Gabbard took her argument directly to the public with a Newsweek op-ed on Sunday, laying out her four key priorities as DNI:
- Assessing global threats and eliminating intelligence gaps, ensuring unbiased and objective analysis to aid President Trump’s decision-making.
- Ending politicization in the Intelligence Community, keeping intelligence focused on national security, not partisan agendas.
- Rebuilding trust in intelligence agencies through greater transparency and accountability.
- Enhancing efficiency by eliminating waste and redundancy in the ODNI.
Her argument? The intelligence community has strayed too far from its original purpose, becoming too political, too bloated, and too disconnected from real national security needs.