Sometimes you have to take what you can get. I’m one of many who shudders at the thought Trump would nominate Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence. But Trump did and the GOP is so afraid of Trump, even Senators that won’t face re-election in 2026 that they seem willing to bury their heads in the sand and confirm her. Ok, so some have raised reservations as they have with Hegseth at Defense, Gaetz as AG and Patel at FBI. However while Gaetz was a non-starter the others are actually being seriously considered by GOP Senators! It’s clear opposition to Hegseth has softened, something I wrote about yesterday. We’ll see what happens when he’s got to face his own grilling in the Senate. Gabbard hasn’t been on everyone’s radar like she should be, and I’m troubled by that. She’s gotten a pass from journalists as far as I’m concerned.
Whatever Gabbard once was, she didn’t merely leave the Democratic Party behind. She left behind the ideals of a free democracy. Putin/Russia has been giddy over the prospect of her being DNI and her relationship with deposed Syrian dictator Assad who is now living under Pootie’s protection in Russia makes it all the much worse. I guess Assad will be her “handler” for Pootie. What many believe, that she became a Russian asset at some point is hard to deny. But the GOP sure as hell seems to want to. I know this, if she were still a Democrat who was a Manchin/Sinema thorn in the side who was friendly with dictators the GOP would be howling with outrage! Frankly, these days I’ll settle for at least four Republicans voting no when her nomination comes to the floor.
As reported by Axios that will apparently take longer than the GOP wanted. They hoped to have a whole batch of hearings next week, to “flood the zone” and push through some people who with time under the spotlight might wilt. Gabbard was one of them. Ah, but it seems Democrats on the Hill have picked themselves up, dusted themselves off and are starting to fight back. There ARE rules and procedures that have to be followed. For all sorts of things including confirmation hearings. In this case, certain information needs to be in the committee member’s hands a full week before any hearing. Gabbard it seems is unable to meet her deadline:
- Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, is balking at GOP requests to hold a hearing for Gabbard early next week, according to multiple sources familiar with the conversations.
- Gabbard, a former member of the House, is Trump’s pick for national intelligence director.
- Warner has pointed out that the committee has not yet received Gabbard’s FBI background check, ethics disclosure or a pre-hearing questionnaire, a source familiar with the matter told us. Committee rules require the background check a week in advance of a hearing.
The GOP of course is pushing back. Like I said they want to have multiple controversial hearings all at once so journalists have to spread out coverage and not fixate on big problems with any one nominee. In Gabbard’s case the claim is her background investigation was completed last week. If so why hasn’t it been shared? The linked article also makes mention of her already having an active security clearance to which I say WTF? Given her contacts with Russia? With Assad? I know if I had had contact with those guys and their minions, and even direct meetings but not in any official capacity or even unofficial one in recent years any clearance I had would have been pulled. And I’d have one hell of a time getting it re-instated!
Now, having been through the process and knowing others who’ve also been through it I know if issues come up during a background investigation the investigator(s) with questions will have a sit-down to talk things through. Sometimes it gets worked and sometimes not and in the latter case a clearance is denied. My guess is that IF the GOP isn’t lying about her background check being completed last week there are indeed some questions. It seems clear to me no report’s findings have been shared with Warner (ranking member of the committee) much less other Democrats. So there’s that.
As for the questionnaire she’s reportedly submitted an ‘initial’ one but not a complete one and will get the full thing turned in this week. We are told she has a Thursday deadline for doing so. Then there’s the ethics disclosures which have been “delayed due to snow and other logistics’ – but will come through ‘soon.’ In Trump world soon is the same as ‘in a couple of weeks’ which means who the hell knows when, if ever? No, the GOP clearly wants to rush this through and have her confirmed before Trump is sworn in on the 20th. THEN he can simply order her clearance be granted regardless of the recommendation of those who actually do investigations and make such National Security decisions. The PROFESSIONALS. Same with the Ethics stuff. A newly installed President Trump will tell Congress and everyone else to kiss his fat orange ass and laugh if they complain.
So where do things stand? Well, the RULES say the committee can’t hold a hearing for at least seven days AFTER certain things are received by the members. That security clearance report is only one. Again, there’s other awfully important stuff like that background questionnaire. And Gabbards financial disclosure statement, not to mention responses to additional pre-hearing questions that are typical for high level nominations. Tom Cotton says he’s determined to have Gabbard confirmed by the 20th, and is citing “terrorist” stuff like the New Orleans attack which was carried out by an American born and raised former Army guy. Sorry Cottomouth but your fear mongering don’t hunt with this ole jarhead. We have far, far MORE to fear from Gabbard being DNI. (not to mention some of Trump’s other nominees) In theory Sen. Cotton could call for a committee vote to waive the rules but even he might not want to take that route. This happens to be one of those committees where bi-partisanship has survived in better shape than is the case elsewhere.
So, in the end it looks like Democrats aren’t going to just roll over. Good for them. Delaying this hearing gives them more time to highlight Gabbard’s (and other’s) un-fitness if things are spread out. She’s only got a couple more days to get her sh*t in order and that doesn’t seem likely. And if the linked article is correct at least a little time will be bought:
Between the lines: Either way, without the materials or sign off from Democrats, the hearing for one of Trump’s most vital national security officials could be pushed to late next week — if not the week following.
This is a time for Democrats to imitate Trump – come up with any and every possible way to delay, delay and delay some more. So I know I keep saying this but contact your Senators and raise hell.
The problem is that my senators are Cornyn and Cruz. I don’t think they pay any attention to me when I write them.
Ouch. I hate to say you have a valid point. Hate to say it.
I get it. Having moved to NC in 2014 most of the time I’ve been stuck with two GOP Senators and know they care little if anything about what I think. Still, for me that’s not been the point of regularly contacting their offices to register my opinions. I’m quite certain staffers seldom if ever actually pass along comments to the boss from regular folks like you and me. However, they DO keep records of how many constituents contact them, and most offices keep track of who supports or opposes policy/legislation on various issues. If enough people speak up the individual that runs the office WILL inform the Senator or Representative on what the folks back home are saying – basic data on support or opposition to this or that or to the overall performance of that Congress Critter. Some of the Congress Critters even ASK.
So it’s for that reason I keep at it. Most staffers who field calls or listen to the voicemails or read the emails track what’s being said and even the name and contact info. of those of us who provide it, something I always do. I don’t care if they decide to send MAGA after me – I’ll just go to hell in a crowd if they do! The point though is that they DO need to know there are people out there that keep track of what’s going on and when enough speak up it gets their attention.
I for one don’t care if these assholes like what I have to say, or that I’m critical of them. (Hell, in the rare instance when they do something right I let them know that too – while also noting I generally oppose them but will give credit if/when due) I for one am not about to let them just go merrily along assuming there aren’t people out there who will work to defeat them in the next election. ONLY if enough of us speak up and do so regularly will they factor in the need to not piss off the voters. If we refuse to throw up our hands and disengage they have to pay at least some attention.
Grassroots energy from regular folks/voters has in the past sometimes “moved mountains” and we are in a time when there are multiple mountains to be moved. So we need to engage and convince others to do so.
“You think you’re so classless, clever, and free…you still look like phucking peasants to me.” John Lennon
Do what you can, where you are, with what you have. Teddy Roosevelt
I hear you marine, and maybe I’ll stir them up again to prompt an armed beauracrat to contact me, like during their traitorous actions during the impeachment trials. I’ve been calling the DOJ since the attempted coup, and have called the mouse that roared, Merrick Garland, everything under the sun, for HIS dereliction of his duty. All the FBI has to do, is pull my file, and realize there’s no use in another six hour grilling session, all I’ll do is tell them to take a flying phuck at a rolling doughnut. The problem my friend is we are a nation of sheep with few warriors left to defend any goddamn thing worth defending. I believe Jack Nicholson’s character, as the drunk southern lawyer, Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper met in jail in Easy Rider, nailed it during their late night campfire talk, while smoking a joint. They were talking about ‘freedom’. He pointed out the people were scared shitless of real freedom, and would kill you for taking it seriously. Well…here we are. As you know, I’m not advocating giving up…just that until enough terrible shit happens…our fellow citizens will still want comfort by any means, including having a dictator tell them what reality will be. I read where James Woods, a Trump supporter, had his mansion burn to the ground in the LA fire. Hey asshole…you got what you deserved. Funny…I cry for the boys lying in Arlington but I haven’t shed one goddamn tear for dead nazis. Rot in HELL you child killers. Harsh? You are goddamn right.