Kennedy, Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, and Gabbard, his pick to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, both faced sharp questions from Democrats — and several Republicans — this week in what amounted to the most direct skepticism from GOP senators over Trump’s nominees to date.
People close to Trump and those helping to confirm his nominees are most concerned about Gabbard’s confirmation chances, specifically after the former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii refused to say whether she believed the actions of Edward Snowden were traitorous to the US. Snowden, a former National Security Agency contractor, in 2013 revealed the existence of the bulk collection of American phone records by the NSA before fleeing to Russia.
In 2021, during Trump’s first term, he considered granting Snowden a pardon but later said he decided to “let that one ride, let the courts work it out.” Trump is not currently considering a pardon for Snowden, one White House official told CNN.
Gabbard has also drawn scrutiny from Senate Intelligence Committee lawmakers over her views on surveillance and a series of controversial meetings she held in Lebanon and Syria in 2017, including with then-President Bashar al-Assad.
One White House official told CNN that while they are working to assuage concerns regarding Gabbard, they have had “encouraging conversations” with lawmakers, adding that Gabbard met privately with senators following her hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee. The official said Gabbard clarified her position on Snowden and her broader views regarding the United States use of surveillance during the meetings. One White House official believes she’s helped assuage some concerns in those private sessions.
Gabbard huddled with Intelligence Committee Chair Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, after the hearing, and their teams have been in regular contact to address concerns and to shore up support, according to a source familiar. Gabbard also called a Republican member of the committee to touch base.
Gabbard has plans to meet with Republican senators on the Hill next week, including those not on the committee. Some Democrats have reached out to Gabbard, and she intends to meet with those who’ve asked for a meeting, the source said.
Kennedy, meanwhile, faced bipartisan grilling during two days of Senate confirmation hearings as he attempted to downplay his history of anti-vaccine rhetoric and win over senators wary of his controversial stances.
In a warning sign for Kennedy, he faced some of the most direct skepticism from GOP senators during the hearings for Trump’s nominees. Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican who practiced medicine for 30 years, acknowledged that Kennedy is now trying to downplay his anti-vaccine rhetoric despite an extensive, recorded history of his linking vaccines to autism in children.
“It’s no secret, I have some reservations about your past positions on vaccines and a couple of other issues,” Cassidy said. “Your past of undermining confidence in vaccines with unfounded or misleading arguments concerns me. Can I trust that that is now in the past?”
If all Democrats oppose Trump’s nominees, they can afford to lose only three GOP senators on the floor to win confirmation. But Gabbard’s nomination could be in danger of not making it that far — as it would take only one Republican to block her nomination in the Senate Intelligence Committee if all Democrats on the panel oppose her.
Trump’s allies mounted a significant pressure campaign against on-the-fence Republicans to get Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s confirmation over the finish line, and similar campaigns have been promised toward GOP senators if they oppose other Trump nominees, such as Gabbard or Kennedy.
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