ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
Senators have spent the past several weeks meeting with President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet picks that include some more controversial names, like Tulsi Gabbard, who's facing an uphill battle to win senate confirmation as the country's top intelligence chief. NPR congressional correspondent Claudia Grisales has more.
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TULSI GABBARD: Hey.
PETE HEGSETH: How are you?
GABBARD: How are you doing? Nice to see you.
CLAUDIA GRISALES, BYLINE: Two of President-elect Donald Trump's more controversial cabinet picks recently had a chance encounter in the hallways of Congress. Director of National Intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard and Pete Hegseth, who is vying to be the next secretary of defense, shared a lighthearted moment.
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HEGSETH: Yeah.
(LAUGHTER)
GABBARD: They're switching to you, right?
(LAUGHTER)
GRISALES: But they are here on a serious mission to win senate confirmation. Hegseth is facing allegations of sexual assault and alcohol abuse, which he denies, and some Republicans quietly argue Gabbard's sympathies for brutal dictators raises larger concerns. Publicly, Senate Republicans are treading lightly when addressing Gabbard's switch to the Republican Party, her rapid rise in Trump's orbit and her history of defending Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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MIKE ROUNDS: I think the best part that she has work to do on, which is...
GRISALES: That's Senator Mike Rounds on Capitol Hill after his meeting with Gabbard. The South Dakota Republican is a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee that will decide whether to advance her nomination as Director of National Intelligence - or DNI - to the senate floor. Rounds says senators are testing a potential path forward for Gabbard.
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ROUNDS: Well, that's the reason why we go through this process - is to...
GRISALES: The military combat veteran from Hawaii saw her political star rise as a four-term House Democrat, then became an independent appearing as a Fox News regular and joining the Republican Party this year after endorsing Trump. Between visits with intelligence committee members, Gabbard told NPR she's optimistic about her confirmation.
GABBARD: I'm enjoying having the opportunity to meet with the senators. We're meeting with the senators mostly on the committee first, but also some who don't serve on the committee, and we'll continue to have that engagement through the next few weeks.
GRISALES: But some have expressed concern over Gabbard's thin resume when compared to previous intel chiefs. Gabbard faced controversy in the House when she made an unsanctioned visit to then Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in 2017 without clearance from key U.S. officials. That's top of mind for Democrats, such as outgoing Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner.
MARK WARNER: Oh, listen, I've got obvious questions to ask about meetings and some comments about Assad, who was a brutal dictator who killed 500,000 of his own people.
GRISALES: Warner worries, if she's confirmed as DNI, it will trigger a chilling effect for the so-called five I's - that is the intelligence sharing agreement between the United States, the United Kingdom and other allies.
WARNER: These are serious jobs that take serious people.
GRISALES: Gabbard was once a top leader for the Democratic National Committee, leaving to endorse Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders for president in 2016. She launched her own failed bid in 2020 but later endorsed President Biden. Soon after, Gabbard began attacking democratic leaders and echoing positions more closely aligned with Trump's GOP. A key vote to watch will be Sanders, who once routinely defended Gabbard and now is keeping an open mind on her nomination.
BERNIE SANDERS: Well, she will come before the relevant committee and make her case.
GRISALES: Trump allies hope their Republican control of government in January will be enough to pressure skeptical senators in Gabbard's favor.
Claudia Grisales, NPR News, the Capitol. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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