Report: Trump Cabinet Selects Gabbard is unclear about what the CIA chief is doing

We’ve probably already seen the worst performance by a presidential candidate from Donald Trump, but former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard is giving Matt Gaetz a run for his money.

Trump appointed Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence for his second term. In a new report from Wall Street JournalHowever, several insiders claimed that Gabbard showed little understanding of what the DNI actually does.

The one-time contender for the Democratic presidential ticket bungled at least one interview with Republican senators before her confirmation hearing. During her meeting with Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, Gabbard couldn’t decide what she would do if she was approved for the role.

“Gabbard was unable to clearly articulate what the role of DNI entails,” the report said, citing several unnamed Republican aides and a member of Trump’s transition team.

In another interview with Senator Mike Rounds, Gabbard appeared “confused about America’s main national security surveillance power… and mixed it up with other issues.”

The isolationist politician’s nomination has raised alarm bells in Washington, where conservative think tanks and former intelligence officials have raised “serious concerns” about the strongman who supports a Republican shift.

Gabbard supported Trump in the 2024 election, thus displaying the most important asset in Trump’s assessments of potential advisers: loyalty. It is unclear whether Republican senators will go along with the Cabinet shakeup, though no GOP lawmaker has shared their intention to vote against Gabbard’s confirmation.

Beyond that, doubts about Gabbard’s suitability for the role are far from universal. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., called Gabbard “extremely qualified” and threw his support behind the “reformer” in a letter to X.