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Tulsi Gabbard, who is President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to be Director of National Intelligence (DNI) in his next administration, has reversed course on a controversial issue after lobbying Republican senators.
Gabbard revealed on Friday that he believes Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) is “crucial for gathering foreign intelligence about non-Americans abroad.”
She previously opposed the reauthorization of Section 702 of FISA while serving as a Democrat in the House of Representatives.
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Gabbard announced a change in her position on Section 702 of the FISA. (Getty Images)
“We have a very important responsibility to strike a balance between national security to keep the American people safe, while protecting our constitutionally protected freedoms,” he told the House in 2018. “We pray for this critical election. Vote for keep it. Our country is safe. Vote to defend our constitutional rights that so many have fought and died to protect.”
In her statement, provided by a Trump transition spokesman, Gabbard said: “This unique capability cannot be replicated and must be safeguarded 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 with regard to the FBI’s misuse of warrantless search powers on American citizens. Since my time Congress has enacted major reforms to FISA to address these issues.If confirmed as DNI, it will protect Americans’ Fourth Amendment rights while maintaining vital national security tools like Sec. 702 to ensure the safety and liberty of the American people,” he said.
The change in Gabbard’s beliefs on the key national security issue was first reported by Punchbowl News.
It comes after several Republican senators argued to him about the importance of Section 702 of the FISA.
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Trump tapped 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 it will follow the law and support its reauthorization as an ID.”
A GOP aide shared that during his meeting with Gabbard, Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., emphasized the importance of the authority granted by Section 702 and how important its navigation would be.
In a podcast appearance earlier this week, Lankford said Wall Street Journal’s Kim Strassel that there were some issues “that people don’t talk about” regarding Trump’s election. One of them, he said, was Gabbard and his 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 will you do it 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’s something that matters to other Republican senators. “I don’t feel like anyone is coming forward publicly and saying, ‘I am adamantly opposed’ to Trump’s nominees,” he explained.
But, “What I feel is that a lot of people say, ‘Hey, I want to give a fair hearing.’ I want people to be able to answer questions publicly.”
While most GOP senators support FISA, some have been vocal critics. “Voting to reauthorize FISA 702 without a warrant requirement is hard to defend. So are those casting those votes, especially if they purport to care about the Fourth Amendment,” wrote Sen. Mike Lee, R- Utah, to X before the majority. recent FISA reauthorization.
Another prominent critic, Sen. Rand PaulR-Ky., said in 2023: “Using 702, the content and metadata of Americans’ communications are inevitably swept up and held in government databases without a warrant. Then the agencies law enforcement access Americans’ communications without a warrant.”
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Paul has opposed Section 702 for what he says are infringements on civil liberties. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Those Republicans may not be so happy about Gabbard’s change of heart. However, there is no sign yet that his support for her is undermining.
A Republican Senate source questioned Gabbard’s new position, noting that she has been “a lifelong skeptic of intelligence gathering.” They suggested that he is unlikely to have “completely changed his mind”.
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A GOP Senate 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 in. charge
The group is eager to confirm all national security nominees on Trump’s first day, they added.
