Group Activity: Tulsi Gabbard Confirmation Hearing

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From the Washington Post:

Tulsi Gabbard, President Donald Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence, goes before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday for what’s expected to be a contentious session focusing on her views on major foreign policy challenges, controversial statements on Russia and Syria, and her position on the delicate balance between government surveillance and civil liberties. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Eastern time.

Gabbard, a lieutenant colonel in the National Guard, previously served as a Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii and ran for president as a Democrat in 2020. She switched parties and joined the GOP last year, ensconcing herself in Trump’s political movement. If confirmed, she would oversee all 18 U.S. spy agencies and, critically, manage the presidential daily brief, the daily summary of essential national security information presented to the commander in chief.

Gabbard’s nomination has alarmed Democrats, who accuse her of parroting Russian talking points about its invasion of Ukraine. Critics have also taken issue with her track record on Syria, where the atrocities perpetrated by Bashar al-Assad have gained renewed attention following his ouster by rebel forces at the end of last year. Gabbard met with Assad when she visited the country in 2017 and has expressed skepticism of U.S. and international intelligence assessments blaming the Syrian dictator for gassing his own people.

Some of the skepticism confronting Gabbard may be bipartisan. Both Republicans and Democrats have raised concerns about her criticism of signature U.S. surveillance programs, namely Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows the government to collect — without a warrant — the communications of targeted foreigners abroad, including when they’re interacting with Americans. Gabbard sought unsuccessfully to repeal the law in 2020. She now says she supports it.