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Expected obstruction may already be afoot as one key Democratic senator is being accused of “playing games with Americans’ national security and safety” amid an effort to delay a confirmation hearing.

No sooner had President-elect Donald Trump begun nominating candidates to staff his second administration than a concerted effort to derail a number of choices started. Now, as the Republican Senate majority is primed to commence hearings to get the America First agenda underway, Virginia Sen. Mark Warner has signaled cause to delay the hearing of former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.

According to a report from Axios, the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee is opposing Trump’s pick of the U.S. Army Reserve lieutenant colonel as director of national intelligence over the delayed receipt of requested vetting materials.

Specifically, Warner called out the lack of Gabbard’s FBI background check, a pre-hearing questionnaire, and an ethics disclosure.

Of those, Axios noted the nominee had until Thursday to submit her second questionnaire. Having already submitted the initial one, her part in completing the background check was fulfilled last week, and the ethics disclosure was delayed in part because of snow.

Adding to the report, Fox News senior congressional correspondent Chad Pergram detailed that after meeting with Gabbard, Warner said, “I went in with a lot of questions. I’ve still got a lot of questions. This is an extraordinarily serious job that requires maintaining the independence of the intelligence community. It also means maintaining the cooperation of our allies. We’ve got a lot of our intelligence from our allies on a sharing basis, and if that information is not kept secure, it raises huge concerns. So… we’ve got a number of questions out for her. This is the beginning of the process.”

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton (R), chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told Axios that he “intends to hold these hearings before Inauguration Day. The Intelligence Committee, the nominees, and the transition are diligently working toward that goal.”

As it happened, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told CBS News’ Margaret Brennan Sunday on “Face the Nation” that he suspected “a lot” of Trump’s nominations would make it through the process, “and we’ll see about all of them. Remains to be seen.”

Florida Sen. Rick Scott (R) detailed that many key hearings had been scheduled in the days leading up to the inauguration, including Gabbard’s.

Reacting to the potential delay in the confirmation of the former Democratic congresswoman, who frequently faced allegations from the left of being a foreign asset and had even been placed on a domestic terror watchlist by President Joe Biden’s administration, Gabbard’s transition spokeswoman Alexa Henning released a scathing statement.

“After the terrorist attacks on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, it’s sad to see Sen. Warner and Democrats playing politics with Americans’ safety and our national security by stonewalling Lt. Col. Gabbard’s nomination, who is willing to meet with every member who will meet with her as this process continues,” she said. “It is vital the Senate confirms President-elect Trump’s national security nominees swiftly, which in the past has been a bipartisan effort, we are working in lockstep with Chairman Cotton and look forward to Lt. Col. Gabbard’s hearing before Inauguration Day.”

Kevin Haggerty
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