Trump’s allies trying to shore up support for RFK Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard following confirmation hearings
CNN
President Donald Trump’s allies, including Vice President JD Vance, are making calls to shore up support for both Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard following their confirmation hearings this week, two sources familiar with the situation told CNN.
President Donald Trump’s allies, including Vice President JD Vance, are making calls to shore up support for both Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard following their confirmation hearings this week, two sources familiar with the situation told CNN. Kennedy, Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, and Gabbard, his pick to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, both faced sharp questions from Democrats — and several Republicans — this week in what amounted to the most direct skepticism from GOP senators over Trump’s nominees to date. People close to Trump and those helping to confirm his nominees are most concerned about Gabbard’s confirmation chances, specifically after the former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii refused to say whether she believed the actions of Edward Snowden were traitorous to the US. Snowden, a former National Security Agency contractor, in 2013 revealed the existence of the bulk collection of American phone records by the NSA before fleeing to Russia. In 2021, during Trump’s first term, he considered granting Snowden a pardon but later said he decided to “let that one ride, let the courts work it out.” Trump is not currently considering a pardon for Snowden, one White House official told CNN. Gabbard has also drawn scrutiny from Senate Intelligence Committee lawmakers over her views on surveillance and a series of controversial meetings she held in Lebanon and Syria in 2017, including with then-President Bashar al-Assad. One White House official told CNN that while they are working to assuage concerns regarding Gabbard, they have had “encouraging conversations” with lawmakers, adding that Gabbard met privately with senators following her hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee. The official said Gabbard clarified her position on Snowden and her broader views regarding the United States’ use of surveillance during the meetings. One White House official believes she’s helped assuage some concerns in those private sessions.
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