This will be a busy week of confirmation hearings for many of President-elect Trump's Cabinet nominees, but one of his more controversial picks probably won't be among them. Democrats appear to have successfully delayed the hearings for Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's pick to be director of national intelligence, reports the Hill. The upshot is that she is no longer expected to be in place by the time Trump is inaugurated next Monday. Senate Democrats say they have not received proper background checks yet.
"We're going to insist on these documents before we go forward," said Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon. "I mean, that's just kind of a nonnegotiable. You can't do 'advise and consent' without it." Her critics say Gabbard—a former Democratic congresswoman who became a major Trump supporter—lacks the experience for the crucial post. They also view her as too supportive of Vladimir Putin and cite a 2017 meeting with Syria's Bashar al-Assad as worrisome.
- A big shift: Meanwhile, Gabbard has reversed herself on a key issue that threatened to derail her confirmation, reports Punchbowl News. When in Congress, she called for repeal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows for the surveillance of foreigners outside the US in the name of national security. Gabbard tells the outlet that she now sees Section 702 as a "crucial" intelligence-gathering tool that "must be safeguarded." Senators from both parties have raised the issue.
- Big picture: Gabbard met with GOP senators last week amid what the Hill describes as "lingering" concerns about her suitability for the job. "I think there's a fair amount of skepticism but I think she can overcome it," says a source described as close to the Trump team.
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