A section of Republican senators is privately eager to open the FBI file on Tulsi Gabbard not only because of her alleged ties to Russia but also because of her previous stance on Edward Snowden. Tulsi Gabbard’s name has to be cleared by the Senate before she becomes director of national intelligence, and many Republicans like Nikki Haley are not on the same page with Gabbard.
Punchbowl News reported that several Republican senators have privately discussed their interest in seeing Gabbard’s FBI file.
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“This is done for every Cabinet nominee but the implication is that the documents may reveal previously unknown information about Gabbard, including possible foreign contacts,” the report said.
However, currently, they treat Gabbard with respect and do not publicly criticize her. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), a member of the Intelligence Committee, told Punchbowl that he has “no doubt she’s a patriot,” but wants Gabbard to question her posture toward Russia.
Tulsi Gabbard openly pushed the US to “drop all charges” against Edward Snowden in Bill 200 which was co-sponsored by former Republican Representative Matt Gaetz. Gaetz has already withdrawn his nomination and Pam Bondi is the new choice for attorney general.
The Senate Intelligence Committee, which will process Gabbard’s nomination, has endorsed Gabbard for Snowden.
Former ambassador to the United Nations and 2024 GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley has openly opposed Tulsi Gabbard, saying that Tulsi Gabbard has defended Russia, Syria, Iran and China in the past. “The DNI has to do real threat analysis. Are we comfortable with someone at the top of our national intelligence agencies?”
“She tried to limit Trump’s war powers against Iran. She tried to cut our annual defense budget so we couldn’t punish Iran and constrain their influence,” Nikki Haley said.
Tulsi Gabbard has close ties to senators from both parties and will begin her formal meetings with senators after Thanksgiving. Getting approved by the Senate doesn’t seem to be a problem for Gabbard, unlike Matt Gaetz.