By Andrea Shalal and Gram Slattery
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Eight Republican senators are unsure about supporting former Democratic member of congress Tulsi Gabbard to become America’s top spy, according to a Trump transition source and a second source with knowledge of the issue, increasing doubts about whether her nomination will secure Senate confirmation.
A Trump associate in close contact with the team trying to push the president-elect's nominees through the Senate also said there was serious pessimism about whether Gabbard could secure the votes she needs to become director of national intelligence.
The three sources requested anonymity to discuss the matter.
The transition team source and the source familiar with the issue said eight Republican senators harbored doubts about supporting the former lawmaker because she was unprepared to answer tough questions during an initial round of meetings last week on Capitol Hill.
Her failure to address those questions sufficiently, her 2017 visit to Syria to meet then-Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and her lack of significant intelligence experience fueled those concerns, the sources said.
In a statement, Trump transition spokesperson Alexa Henning noted that no Republican senator has publicly said they would vote against Gabbard.
"There is not one GOP Senator on the record that opposes Lt. Col. Gabbard's nomination," Henning said. "Again, this is anonymous sources desperately trying to hold on to power, so they hide behind the media to spread these falsities that directly subvert the will of the American people."
If Trump fails to sway the eight Republicans, he would need the support of five Democrats, which could prove difficult, one source said. Republicans will control the chamber 53-47 in the new congress, which will be sworn in on Jan. 3.
The sources declined to identify the eight senators.
Another person close to the transition team was more optimistic about Gabbard securing Senate approval but said several Republican senators and senators-elect plausibly could vote against Gabbard, including Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, John Curtis and Mitch McConnell.
Aides to McConnell, the Republican minority leader, Collins and Murkowski did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A spokesperson for Senator-elect Curtis said he has not commented on any nominees and will carefully examine the record and qualifications of all of them.
DOUBTS OVER EXPERIENCE, VIEWS ON RUSSIA
Trump’s selection of the former Democratic U.S. representative from Hawaii and combat veteran to be the nation's top intelligence official sent shock waves through the national security establishment, raising fears over politicization of the intelligence community.
In addition to visiting Syria and her lack of intelligence experience, Gabbard has been viewed as soft on Russia. Critics point to her opposition to U.S. military aid to Ukraine for its battle to reclaim territory seized by Moscow since its 2022 full-scale invasion, her assertions that Kyiv cannot win, and what they say is her parroting of Kremlin views.
Nearly 100 former national security officials signed a statement this month criticizing Trump's decision to nominate Gabbard and calling for closed Senate hearings to review government information about her.
But supporters of the one-time Trump critic say she has a healthy skepticism about U.S. military intervention abroad in keeping with Trump’s America First ideology. She endorsed Trump for president and appeared at campaign rallies.
It is far from clear that Gabbard's nomination is doomed.
Some senators closely aligned with Trump have endorsed her and said they expect her confirmation. No Republican has opposed her publicly, although some have said they want more information, and any that do risk a primary challenge if they are up for re-election in 2026.
Trump's selection of Matt Gaetz as attorney general shocked many on Capitol Hill and he quickly stepped aside as nominee. But the president-elect has since pushed even harder for his remaining nominees, by inviting them to his Florida home and to his box at last weekend's Army-Navy football game.
One Republican congressional aide said the mood on Capitol Hill had changed in recent days. Before Gabbard began meeting with members, several lawmakers were leaning toward voting against her, but there has been "a shift to a more neutral tone" and a sense that Republicans will confirm Gabbard's nomination in fear of retribution from Trump, said the aide.
Gabbard was in the Senate on Tuesday, meeting with Republican Senators Chuck Grassley, Dan Sullivan, Rand Paul, Murkowski and Collins, and Democrats Jon Ossoff and John Fetterman.
Asked after meeting Fetterman whether she was confident she would be confirmed, Gabbard told reporters she looked forward to meeting senators “as we continue the process.”
As director of national intelligence, Gabbard would be principal intelligence adviser to the president and overseer of the 18 agencies comprising the U.S. intelligence community, responsible for coordinating their activities and a budget that in fiscal 2024 totaled more than $106 billion for civilian and military intelligence programs.