Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s pick for intel chief, faces questions on Capitol Hill amid Syria fallout
Associated PressWASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for intelligence chief, Tulsi Gabbard, faced fresh scrutiny Monday on Capitol Hill about her proximity to Russian-ally Syria amid the sudden collapse of that country’s hardline Assad rule. I won’t stand for it.” One widely watched Republican, Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, herself a former Army National Guard lieutenant colonel and sexual assault survivor who had been criticized by Trump allies for her cool reception to Hegseth, appeared more open to him after their follow-up meeting Monday. As I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources.” Hegseth, in an interview late Monday with Sean Hannity of Fox News, said he had a “great meeting” with Ernst and “the fact that she’s willing to support me through this process means a lot.” Hegseth said he had meetings scheduled this week with two other female Republican senators — Lisa Murkowski of Alaska on Tuesday and Susan Collins of Maine on Wednesday. She said her own views have been shaped by “my multiple deployments and seeing firsthand the cost of war and the threat of Islamist terrorism.” Gabbard said, “It’s one of the many reasons why I appreciate President Trump’s leadership and his election, where he is fully committed, as he has said over and over, to bring about an end to wars.” Last week, the nearly 100 former officials, who served in both Democratic and Republican administrations, said in the letter to Senate leaders they were “alarmed” by the choice of Gabbard to oversee all 18 U.S. intelligence agencies.