Mitch makes 'em sweat
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Former Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell's conspicuous silence is starting to spook Tulsi Gabbard's team.
Why it matters: The Trump transition thinks Gabbard, the director of national intelligence nominee, can get confirmed even with a "no" vote from McConnell. But his public opposition — if it materializes — could open the door to other GOP defectors.
- Gabbard's team isn't banking on McConnell's vote, sources tell us.
- McConnell is studiously avoiding public or private indications that he'll support President-elect Trump's nominees, three people familiar with the matter tell us.
- Voting against Gabbard would resume hostilities between McConnell and Trump. It could have implications for big policy questions down the line, from funding Ukraine to raising tariffs.
📣 McConnell said on the Senate floor today that he'll support nominees to "senior national security roles whose record and experience will make them immediate assets, not liabilities, in the pursuit of peace through strength."
- When asked specifically about Gabbard, McConnell told CNN's Manu Raju he was not ready to announce whether he can back her.
Zoom in: Gabbard is focused on winning over members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, where the GOP has a 9-8 voting advantage.
- Two key GOP swing votes sit on the Intel committee: Sens. Susan Collins (R-Me.), a former SSCI chair, and Todd Young (R-Ind.).
- Gabbard has met with every Republican and five of the eight Democrats, including Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the ranking Democrat. She has reached out to all of them.
- Majority Leader John Thune can still bring Gabbard's nomination to a full floor vote even if she doesn't have the support to be recommended by the committee — but it would not be a great sign for her chances.
Most of Trump's nominees are pocketing hard "yeses" from senators, as they meet privately or appear before their committees.
- Former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, whose nomination as secretary of Defense appeared doomed in early December, appears to be a glide path to confirmation, barring any new revelations about his personal life.
The bottom line: If Democrats have any chance — and it's slim — at helping drag down a Trump nominee, they see Gabbard as the most likely prospect.
- Minority Leader Chuck Schumer views the party's grilling of Hegseth as a success.
- He'll demand the same for their treatment of Gabbard, HHS nominee RFK Jr. and FBI director nominee Kash Patel.
— Hans Nichols, Stef Kight and Stephen Neukam
