It's likely we've already seen the worst performance by a nominee to Donald Trump's Cabinet, but former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard is giving Matt Gaetz a run for his money.
Trump tapped Gabbard to serve as the Director of National Intelligence in his second term. In a new report from the Wall Street Journal, however, several insiders claimed Gabbard demonstrated little understanding of what the DNI actually does.
The one-time contender for the presidential ticket in the Democratic Party flubbed at least one interview with Republican senators ahead of her confirmation hearing. While meeting with Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., Gabbard couldn't quite say what she would do if approved for the role.
"Gabbard couldn’t clearly articulate what the role of director of national intelligence entails," the report reads, citing several unnamed Republican aides and a member of the Trump transition team.
In another interview with Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., Gabbard "seemed confused about a key U.S. national-security surveillance power... conflating it with other issues."
The isolationist politician's nomination set off alarm bells in Washington, with conservative thinkers and former intelligence officials raising "serious qualms" about the strongman-supporting Republican convert.
Gabbard supported Trump in the 2024 election, thereby displaying the most important asset in Trump's evaluations of would-be advisers: loyalty. It's unclear if Republican senators will fall in line with the MAGA makeover of the Cabinet, though no GOP lawmaker has shared their intention to vote against Gabbard's confirmation.
Beyond that, the doubts about Gabbard's fitness for the role are far from universal. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., called Gabbard "very qualified" and threw his support behind the "reformer" in a post to X.
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