Former Democratic Congressperson Tulsi Gabbard kicked off her bid to win Senate support as America\u2019s new top spy on Monday by wooing a key demographic: Republican defense hawks.<\/p>\n

The recent MAGA convert and longtime anti-interventionist held one-on-one meetings on Monday with four muscular advocates of American foreign policy. She started the day by having breakfast with Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa). Later, she met with Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD), James Lankford (R-OK), and Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.) behind closed doors.<\/p>\n

Those meetings marked Gabbard\u2019s first visit to Blue Light News since Donald Trump nominated her to be the next Director of National Intelligence, and appeared to signal her strategy for winning Senate support for her surprise nomination<\/a> to a key national security post.<\/p>\n

After her meeting with Lankford, Gabbard also briefly stepped outside the senator\u2019s office to address the stunning overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad\u2019s government. The lightning advance of Syrian rebel groups this weekend surfaced what many believe is Gabbard\u2019s biggest weakness \u2014 a secret trip she took in 2017 to meet with al-Assad, who has used chemical weapons repeatedly in the war.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to address the issue that\u2019s in the headlines right now,\u201d she said. \u201cI stand in full support and wholeheartedly agree with the statements that President Trump has made over these last few days, with regards to the developments in Syria.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Saturday, Trump posted on his Truth Social account<\/u><\/a> that \u201cSyria is a mess\u201d and \u201cTHE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gabbard is expected to face stiff resistance<\/u><\/a> in the Senate Intelligence Committee not just for the Syria trip. She lacks formal experience in the U.S. intelligence community, and has espoused dovish views about Russia and the war in Ukraine that her critics note mirror Kremlin propaganda.<\/p>\n

She nonetheless holds a top secret clearance<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n

While her fate is unclear, Gabbard appeared to make promising inroads Monday. Ernst called her a \u201cstrong and proven leader\u201d in a post on X<\/u><\/a>. Rounds, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, posted that the two<\/u><\/a> had \u201can excellent first meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tom Cotton, another member of the intelligence panel, also put out a message on X that bodes well for Gabbard.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf the 72 cabinet secretary nominees since the Clinton transition, only 2 nominees have ever received NO votes from the president-elect’s party,\u201d he wrote<\/u><\/a>. \u201cNo one should be surprised that the Republican Senate will confirm President Trump\u2019s nominees.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"