Gabbard Failing to Impress Republicans for Cabinet Post

When Donald Trump nominated Tulsi Gabbard as his Director of National Intelligence, I admitted that I was a bit stunned.

I like Gabbard, but I don’t necessarily trust her as having previously been a registered Democrat. I would have preferred for Trump to pay off her loyalty with a post in charge of Veterans Affairs.

I said at the time that there would be resistance and she would have to do some wooing of Republican Senators to get through, and it appears that she is flopping on that front.

Real Concerns

Gabbard has made some comments in the past that have Republicans worried about her specifically in this role.

The biggest concern is that her anti-war stance would have her filtering intelligence if an enemy was being overly aggressive and it could result in the United States having to put boots on the ground somewhere.

I don’t personally believe she would do something like that, but again, I just don’t trust anyone who was on the other side of the aisle before (I really don’t trust many Republicans either).

Numerous Republicans in the Senate expressed various concerns, and Gabbard is not doing much to persuade them she is the right person for the job.

One source stated, “She was proving to be a little shallow, like a House member talking at a hearing and not someone who needs to provide the president’s daily intelligence briefing.”

Another Republican Senator stated, “I’ve heard that she’s not very well prepared. I’ve heard not great things.”

An aide for a GOP Senator was quite blunt, saying, “She’s got some work to do if she wants the job. The more she meets with serious people, the more they’ll see there’s a competency deficit.”

Trump transition spokesperson Alexa Henning responded to the comments, “These cowardly anonymous sources are desperately trying to hold on to power, so they hide behind the media to spread these falsities that directly subvert the will of the American people.

“President Trump won with a mandate for change from the American people, and that’s one of the reasons he nominated Lt. Col. Gabbard for DNI.”

I agree that these people are cowards for not putting their names to their statements, but at the same time, spitting venom is not going to make the sources of the information soften up against Gabbard.

I still hold that I don’t think she will get through, but the comments about her not being prepared did take me by surprise.

If there is anything that Gabbard has proven in her past campaigns and as a surrogate on TV, it is that she is always prepared, so I am really looking forward to the vetting hearings to see if this really is nonsense or Gabbard has completely dropped the ball here.