Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) is backing President Donald Trump’s director of national intelligence nominee, Tulsi Gabbard.
In a post on X, Cotton dismissed criticism of Gabbard as “smears” ahead of her confirmation hearing to be the nation’s intelligence chief.
“The smears against Tulsi Gabbard—including by Hillary Clinton—are disgraceful. Tulsi served for more than 20 years honorably, she passed every background check, and she’s a patriot with integrity. She doesn’t deserve to have her integrity impugned,” Cotton said in a post on X.
The backing from Cotton, a defense hawk, could serve as a major boon for Gabbard, whose critics largely reside in the defense hawk camp.
Cotton’s reference to Hillary Clinton’s criticisms stems from a long-running feud between the two, underscored by a lawsuit filed by Gabbard against the former secretary of state over claims Gabbard was a Russian asset. She later dropped the lawsuit.
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Gabbard has faced criticism for a 2017 meeting with former Syrian President Bashar Assad, her position that Washington bears some responsibility for the Russian-Ukraine war, and skepticism toward some findings of the U.S. intelligence community.
Gabbard’s confirmation hearing will be held Thursday. Alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Health and Human Services secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy, she is viewed as one of the most controversial Cabinet picks.
