Congress
Sen. Todd Young will back Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence
Sen. Todd Young said Tuesday he will support Donald Trump’s embattled nominee for director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, improving her chances of confirmation.
Facing a wave of political pressure from Trump allies to back Gabbard, Young “engaged in extensive conversations” with Vice President JD Vance in which he sought written assurances about Gabbard’s perspective on whistleblowers, according to a person familiar with his deliberations who was granted anonymity to describe them.
“American intelligence officers around the globe deserve our respect and support. I appreciate Tulsi Gabbard’s engagement with me on a variety of issues to ensure that our intelligence professionals will be supported and policymakers will receive unbiased information under her leadership,” Young said in a statement to Blue Light News.
“I have done what the Framers envisioned for senators to do: use the consultative process to seek firm commitments, in this case commitments that will advance our national security, which is my top priority as a former Marine Corps intelligence officer,” he added. “Having now secured these commitments, I will support Tulsi’s nomination and look forward to working with her to protect our national security.”
Young made his statement just hours before he is set to vote on Gabbard’s nomination inside the Intelligence Committee, where any Republican opposition could help scuttle her nomination.
The person familiar with Young’s deliberations said he also made clear he opposes granting any pardon to NSA leaker Edward Snowden — who was a major focus of Gabbard’s Senate Intelligence Committee hearing last week.
A hawkish internationalist in the mold of his former mentor the late Sen. Richard Lugar, Young sharply questioned Gabbard there over her past support of Snowden.
“I think it would befit you, and be helpful to the way you are perceived by members of the intelligence community,” Young told Gabbard during a hearing last week, “if you would at least acknowledge the greatest whistleblower in American history, so-called, harmed national security by breaking the laws of the land.”
Young did not back Trump’s 2024 presidential bid and has called his judgment about dealing with Russian President Vladimir Putin into question.
The Hoosier senator has found himself the target of heavy pressure from MAGA Republicans in recent days, including from Elon Musk, who called him a “deep state puppet” in a post on X before deleting it, saying later he stood “corrected.”
After Musk and Young spoke Sunday, Young’s office told Blue Light News the billionaire Trump adviser did not press him on Gabbard during the call.
With statements from Young today and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine yesterday, Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas is the only Senate Intelligence Committee Republican who has yet to disclose how he will vote on Gabbard.
Public scrutiny of domestic abuse allegations against Rep. Max Miller is quickly mounting. His Republican colleagues have been slow to respond.
New reporting on government documents claiming that Miller poured hot water on his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, held a gun to her head and broke their young daughter’s collarbone has brought a wave of new attention to the Ohio lawmaker’s long-running public marital dispute. This week, Moreno’s lawyer filed for a restraining order against Miller, accusing him of harassing his ex-wife’s counsel.
The surge of attention presents a dilemma for Republicans: speak out against their colleague who is running in a competitive race or face accusations of hypocrisy after hammering multiple similarly scandal-plagued Democrats — including Graham Platner, who recently ended his Maine Senate campaign, and Eric Swalwell, who resigned his House seat in April.
Miller, like Platner and Swalwell, denies any wrongdoing. And so far, those fellow Republicans have been largely silent. A host of prominent GOP leaders nationally and in Ohio either declined to comment or did not respond to inquiries from Blue Light News.
Keeping quiet and hoping for the best could be a risky strategy. Nonpartisan handicappers at the Cook Political Report have already upped Democrats’ chances to take the Cleveland-area seat, and House Democratic campaign brass is bullish about Miller’s opponent, ironworker Brian Poindexter, who has for months raised the abuse claims against the incumbent.
“These are serious allegations and deserve the full attention of law enforcement,” Poindexter said in a statement this week. “If all the allegations against Congressman Miller prove to be true, Max Miller should be in jail, not worried about retaining a seat in Congress.”
Even before the latest allegations were published by Mother Jones, which have not been independently confirmed by Blue Light News, Miller sued his ex-wife and her legal team for defamation. He argued that they made “false, malicious, and defamatory statements wrongly accusing [him] of being a violent and abusive husband and father.”
Miller’s campaign spokesperson said in a statement “this narrative has gone on long enough.”
“The facts speak for themselves: the court has continued to permit him joint custody of his child. If there were credible evidence supporting these outrageous accusations, that simply would not be the case,” the spokesperson, Abigail Angelos, said. “Congressman Miller will continue to vigorously defend his reputation against false and reckless allegations designed to inflame public opinion rather than reflect reality.”
A spokesperson for Moreno, Stefan Mychajliw, referred to the recent restraining order filing said in a statement: “There is a demonstrable pattern of repeated violent and dangerous behavior and the filing speaks for itself.”
Republicans are approaching a potential make-or-break moment next week: Aug. 5 is the last day to replace Miller on the ballot, and at least some in the party are quietly raising alarms with the House majority potentially teetering on just a few competitive seats.
One GOP operative granted anonymity to speak candidly accused some fellow Republicans of “burying their heads in the sand” and called the situation “Graham Platner on steroids.”
“What happens when Democrats run ad after ad targeting GOP voters about Miller abusing the daughter of a pro-Trump MAGA senator?” the person said. “What does that do to GOP turnout? How does that affect our candidates at the top of the ticket who are already in tough races?”
Moreno is the daughter of Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno, who has said little about the unfolding legal battle.
“Senator Moreno’s top priority is the safety and well-being of his daughter and granddaughter. While he does not litigate these matters in the media or respond to baseless public attacks, he will do whatever it takes to ensure a just outcome for his family,” Reagan McCarthy, a spokesperson for the senator, said.
Other prominent Ohio Republicans also did not respond to requests for comment made through spokespeople, including Sen. Jon Husted, governor nominee Vivek Ramaswamy and Vice President JD Vance.
Before Miller’s election to Congress in 2022, he worked for President Donald Trump doing advance work. He is a mainstay of the MAGA universe, with deep personal ties to many of his House GOP colleagues — despite his outspoken criticism of Speaker Mike Johnson. Miller also previously faced accusations from former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, which he has denied through an attorney.
The drumbeat of allegations about Miller has put some of his House colleagues in an awkward position. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) said she knows both Miller and Moreno “personally,” noting that she had a joint baby shower with Moreno hosted by former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
“What I hate about this entire situation is that these articles the press are putting out have been very nasty especially with accusations and it is only hurting one person… their daughter. I do not know Max to be a violent person and have only ever found him to be incredibly kind and honorable,” Luna said in a text message.
She added, “I will also not disparage Emily. She comes from a wonderful family and Senator Moreno is one of the best in the Senate. I think this divorce has been incredibly painful for both parties involved and would ask the press to consider those facts.”
One Republican lawmaker, outgoing Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, called the allegations against Miller “horrific.”
“They must be investigated, and if true, he should resign immediately,” she said in a statement.
Several Democrats, including the leadership of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, have also said that the House Ethics Committee must open an investigation into Miller.
“The recent reports of domestic violence and child abuse against Representative Max Miller are deeply disturbing and Congress can’t ignore them,” the leaders of the caucus, Reps. Teresa Leger Fernández of New Mexico, Emilia Sykes of Ohio and Hillary Scholten of Michigan, said in a joint statement. “Allegations of violence against women and children have to be met with the utmost seriousness.”
Johnson has also deferred to the Ethics Committee, which has not announced any action regarding Miller. The independent Office of Congressional Conduct also declined to comment on the allegations and whether they would be investigating it.
The speaker was asked last week why Republicans allow Miller and Rep. Cory Mills of Florida, who has also faced domestic abuse allegations, in their conference— especially after Democrats dumped Platner following a sexual assault accusation first reported by Blue Light News. Mills, like Miller, has denied wrongdoing.
Johnson responded that “the key word there is allegation.”
“We have a process here,” Johnson told reporters at a news conference. “I’m not in the business of commenting on investigations as they’re in process, and we’ll see how that shakes out.”
But waiting for the results of a potentially years-long Ethics investigation might not cut it for Republicans who are under 100 days out from the midterms. The abuse allegations have handed Democrats an emotional campaign talking point, and created difficult questions for Miller’s fellow Republicans.
Rep. Jim Jordan, perhaps the most prominent Ohio Republican in Congress, brushed off questions about Miller during a Thursday CNN interview, calling it a “family matter.”
“I know Max is a good man. I was up campaigning for him, I hope he wins reelection,” Jordan said in the interview. “He’s done a good job as a member of Congress, and we should all pray for his family. These are all difficult times that they’re going through, we understand that. These kinds of situations always are.”
The GOP operative said Republicans “can expect a lot more awkward moments like Jim Jordan on BLN so long as Miller is serving in Congress.”
House Majority PAC, a well-financed super PAC aligned with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, isn’t shying from the situation. Already the PAC has spent over $1 million in the Cleveland media market, and spokesperson CJ Warnke said HMP is “willing to do whatever it takes to take back the House, and nothing is off the table.”
“Democrats are expanding the map deeper into Trump territory by the day, and Brian Poindexter will defeat the scandal plagued Max Miller,” he said.
Meredith Lee Hill contributed to this report.
Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley rescheduled a planned vote on Todd Blanche’s nomination as attorney general late Friday in a preemptive move as negotiations between the Trump administration and GOP holdouts continue.
The vote, now set for Tuesday after a scheduled Thursday vote was postponed, isn’t an indication that a deal allowing for Blanche’s confirmation is near, so much as it is a nod to Judiciary Committee rules that require three days of notice for a panel meeting.
There is no sign that President Donald Trump is about to acquiesce to the unflinching demands of Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who wants a controversial settlement agreement between Trump and the IRS substantially pared back.
Cornyn, who lost his primary to a Trump-endorsed candidate, wants the Justice Department to nullify a $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” and limit the scope of a tax audit immunity component of the pact.
Trump told reporters earlier Friday the fund is “dead” but added “I wish it weren’t.”
“I’d like to see them compensated,” he added, referring to people he considers victims of government abuse, including participants in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
To advance Tuesday, Blanche needs to pick up Cornyn and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), another senator on the panel with similar concerns. He can’t lose any GOP votes if he wants to be reported favorably out of the Judiciary Committee.
“Chairman Grassley wants Todd Blanche’s nomination to be successful,” said a Judiciary Committee spokesperson, who declined to be named. “Noticing the markup gives more time for the White House to secure the votes for the President’s nominee. Grassley would like to see Blanche confirmed before the August recess as he has an excellent record restoring law and order and keeping Americans safe.”
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise is zeroing in on one of House Republicans’ biggest contests — a purple district in Nebraska — when he starts his recess campaign sprint.
Scalise will travel to Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District in the Omaha area for an event with Republican Brinker Harding in the coming days, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter granted anonymity to share plans not yet made public. Republicans are digging in to defend the seat, which Kamala Harris won in the 2024 presidential race and is among Democrats’ best pick up opportunities this fall as they seek to flip the House.
Harding is running against Democratic consultant Denise Powell to replace retiring GOP Rep. Don Bacon. Bacon, a moderate-leaning Republican, flipped the Omaha district red in 2016.
After Nebraska, Scalise is planning to travel across the country throughout August, including to defend GOP incumbents Mariannette Miller-Meeks’ and Zach Nunn’s key battleground seats in Iowa’s 1st and 3rd Congressional Districts and Derrick Van Orden in Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District.
He’ll boost candidates working to flip blue districts like Laurie Buckhout in North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, Derek Merrin in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District and Mike LiPetri in New York’s 3rd Congressional District.
Scalise also plans to travel to Michigan, Colorado, South Carolina and Texas for campaign events over the August recess.
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- Blanche vote is rescheduled, but there’s no deal
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- Pentagon ends leadership of Ukraine aid group as US distances from Europe
- New disclosures reveal $9M in corporate donations to Trump’s Freedom 250
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- Scalise will kick off August campaign sprint in marquee Nebraska House race
- Trump needles Cornyn as Blanche remains blocked
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