Tulsi Gabbard, who was chosen by President-elect Donald Trump to be Director of National Intelligence (DNI) in his next administration, reversed course on the controversial item after lobbying Republican senators.
Gabbard revealed on Friday that she believes Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) is “critical to the collection of foreign intelligence on non-US persons abroad.”
She before opposed the FISA Section 702 reauthorization while serving as a Democrat in the House of Representatives.
Gabbard announced a change in her position on FISA Section 702. (Getty Images)
“We have a very important responsibility to strike a balance between national security to protect the American people while protecting our constitutionally protected liberties,” she said on the House floor in 2018. “Let us make this crucial choice. Vote to keep our country safe. Vote to protect our constitutional rights for which many fought and died.”
In her statement provided by Trump’s transition spokesman, Gabbard said, “This unique capability cannot be replicated and must be preserved to protect our nation while ensuring the civil liberties of Americans.”
“My previous concerns about FISA were based on insufficient protections for civil liberties, particularly regarding the FBI’s abuse of warrantless search powers on American citizens. Significant reforms to FISA have been enacted since my time in Congress to address these concerns . If confirmed as DNI, I will uphold Americans’ Fourth Amendment rights while maintaining vital national security tools like Section 702 to ensure the safety and freedom of the American people,” she said. is.
Gabbard’s change in beliefs on a key national security issue was first reported Punchbowl news.
It comes after several Republican senators pointed out to her the importance of Section 702 of the FISA.
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Trump chose Gabbard to be director of national intelligence. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, told Fox News Digital in a statement, “Tulsi Gabbard has assured me in our conversations that she supports Section 702 as recently amended and that she will follow the law and support his reauthorization as DNI.”
One Republican aide said that during the meeting with Gabbard, Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., emphasized how important the powers granted by Section 702 were and how important her navigation of it would be.
In a podcast appearance earlier this week, Lankford said The Wall Street Journal’s Kim Strassel that there are some issues “people aren’t talking about” about Trump’s election. One of them, he said, was Gabbard and her position on Section 702.
“She’s voted against what’s called the 702 authority every time she’s been in Congress and she’s voted against it. Well, now she’s going to be the spokesperson for the 702 authority. It’s a legitimate question to just say, ‘Okay, how are you going to handle this?’ “, he asked.
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Cotton is chairman of the intelligence committee. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Lankford suggested that was something that was important to other Republican senators. “I don’t hear anybody really come out publicly and say ‘I am strongly opposed'” to Trump’s nominees, he explained.
But, “What I’m hearing is a lot of people saying, ‘Hey, I want a fair hearing. I want people to be able to answer questions publicly.'”
While most Republican senators support FISA, some have been vocal critics. “Voting to reauthorize FISA 702 without requiring a warrant is hard to defend. As are those who cast those votes—especially if they care about the Fourth Amendment,” Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, wrote on Xu ahead of the largest recent FISA reauthorization authorization.
Another top critic, Sen. Rand PaulR-Ky., said in 2023: “Using 702, Americans’ communications content and metadata are inevitably deleted and stored in government databases without a warrant. Law enforcement agencies then access Americans’ communications without a warrant.”
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Paul opposed Section 702 because of what he says infringes on civil liberties. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
These Republicans may not be so happy about Gabbard’s change of heart. So far, however, there is no indication that this will harm their support for her.
One Senate Republican source cast doubt on Gabbarda’s new stance, noting that she has been “a lifelong skeptic of intelligence gathering.” They suggested that it was unlikely that she had “completely changed her mind”.
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A Senate GOP source confirmed to Fox News Digital that conservative senators are encouraged by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, RS.D., and his apparent desire to confirm Trump’s nominees on the day he is sworn into office.
The group can’t wait for all the national security nominees to be confirmed on Trump’s first day, they added.
