U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said Monday she will support Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination to serve as President Donald Trump’s director of national intelligence, following speculation that she could cast a swing vote against the controversial nominee.
The Republican issued a statement late Monday afternoon saying she will back Gabbard after “extensive consideration of her nomination” on the eve of Tuesday’s Senate Intelligence Committee vote that is taking place behind closed doors. Collins had been viewed as a potential “no” vote who could have complicated Gabbard’s prospects, given Republicans hold a 9-8 majority on the committee.
Collins used last week’s confirmation hearing to zero in on Gabbard’s past calls for infamous whistleblower Edward Snowden to receive a pardon, though Collins did not join several members from both parties who unsuccessfully tried to get Gabbard to call Snowden a traitor. In a statement, Collins said Gabbard assuaged her concerns on Snowden.
“I look forward to working with Ms. Gabbard to strengthen our national security,” Collins said.
The Maine senator, who noted her role in authoring 2004 legislation that created the office of the director of national intelligence, said Gabbard “shares my vision of returning the agency to its intended size” after the office has grown in recent years.
Allies of Trump did not succeed in pushing Senate Intelligence Committee members to change rules to open up Tuesday’s vote. Donald Trump Jr. and “government efficiency” czar Elon Musk have called for Republicans senators who oppose Gabbard and other nominees to face primaries, which Collins has not faced since first winning election in 1996.
Collins voted against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s nomination in January, as did U.S. Sen. Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats. Hegseth only won approval thanks to a tie-breaking vote from Vice President JD Vance. Collins and King have otherwise voted to approve numerous Trump nominees to date.
Trump’s nomination of Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii who ran for president in 2020 before joining the Republican Party, drew scrutiny from members on both sides of the aisle for various reasons, including her past comments on Russia, meeting with former Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, opposition to certain surveillance programs and support for Snowden, who leaked secret documents that revealed global surveillance programs.
Collins told reporters she was “happy” with Gabbard’s responses to her questions after last week’s confirmation hearing, such as when Gabbard told Collins she would not “take actions to advocate for any actions related to Snowden.”
Among other controversial nominees, the Senate Finance Committee is expected to vote Tuesday on advancing Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination for health and human services secretary. Collins and King are not on that committee, though Collins did lightly question Kennedy during a separate health committee hearing focused on his vaccine views.