Senate GOP pushes for Gabbard hearing before inauguration, but Democrats resist setting date for next week

Washington CNN — Senate Republicans are pushing to hold a confirmation hearing for Tulsi Gabbard before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, but Democrats are resisting setting a date for next week as the Intelligence Committee has not yet received key paperwork on the nomination, including an FBI background check, according to two sources familiar with the matter. A spokesperson for Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, told CNN the chairman “intends to hold these hearings before Inauguration Day,” a timeline that would mean a hearing would need to take place either this week or next for Gabbard, Trump’s pick to serve as director of national intelligence. The Senate Intelligence Committee has not yet received the necessary paperwork from Gabbard to hold a hearing, one of the sources said, saying the paperwork includes an FBI background check, ethics disclosure or a pre-hearing questionnaire and the background check must be submitted to the committee a week before a confirmation hearing takes place. Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told CNN on Tuesday that he has a “lot of questions” for Gabbard.