Three of Trump's most controversial picks face simultaneous grilling
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Former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard from Hawaii, leaves a meeting with Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) at the Hart Senate Office Building on Dec. 18, 2024, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
A trio of President Trump's most head-turning nominees to head key agencies appeared before senators on Thursday.
Why it matters: Tulsi Gabbard, Kash Patel and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. all have a slew of past controversies — and are not guaranteed a smooth path through Senate confirmation.
- Kennedy appeared before the Senate Finance Committee Wednesday, where he stumbled over questions about Medicaid and attempted to reel in his past anti-vaccine statements.
- He took on round two in the Capitol Hill ring Thursday, testifying before the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP).
Driving the news: Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the ranking member on the Senate Intelligence Committee, expressed "serious questions" about Gabbard's judgment and ability to "develop the trust necessary to give our allies confidence that they can share their most sensitive intelligence with us."
- He rebuked Gabbard's rejection of the conclusion that former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad deployed chemical weapons against his own citizens.
- Gabbard told Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) she would not seek clemency for Edward Snowden, who Gabbard once publicly defended. But she later would not say if she believed he was a traitor.
- She would not give a straight answer when pressed by Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) on whether Snowden was a traitor, saying only that she is "committed if confirmed as Director of National Intelligence to join you in making sure that there is no future Snowden-type leak."
Once seen as a rising Democratic star, the ex-congresswoman and former presidential candidate endorsed Trump in August and announced in October she'd be joining the Republican Party.
- Another recent change of heart was highlighted by lawmakers Thursday: Gabbard, once openly opposed to the Section 702 surveillance program, revealed earlier this year that she now supports the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act tool.
- The flip seemingly won over Lankford, who told NBC News' "Meet the Press" Section 702 was "a very important piece" to him.
Meanwhile, Patel — a hardline MAGA ally Trump tapped to be FBI director — was in the hot seat before the Senate Judiciary Committee for around five hours.
- He took a surprise split from Trump on the president's sweeping pardons for Jan. 6 rioters, telling lawmakers Thursday he did not "agree with the commutation of any sentence of any individual who committed violence against law enforcement."
Catch up quick: Democrats highlighted Patel's vows to roll back the "deep state" and inclusion of a list of "deep state" officials to target in his 2023 book.
- They also pointed to comments he made on a podcast last year to "shut down" the FBI headquarters in the nation's capital and "reopen it the next day as a museum of the 'deep state.'"
What we're watching: Trump's more provocative picks have seemingly attempted to tame their past views — but that doesn't mean their hearings were free of fireworks.
Go deeper: Senate Republicans giving Kash Patel a chance
Editor's note: This story has been updated with information from the confirmation hearings.
