What Tulsi Gabbard's Confirmation Says About the State of the GOP

The Republicans have thrown in the towel on everything they pretended to care about

Yesterday, Tulsi Gabbard was confirmed as Director of National Intelligence. Only one Republican voted against her, despite widespread concerns about:

• Her lack of experience;

• Her previous support for Syrian Dictator, Bashar al-Assad;

• Her tendency to play footsie with Russia; and

• Her views on an array of Republican-supported intelligence programs.

While no one ever made money betting on the courage of Republican Senators, if there was one place where Senate Republicans would exert their will, it would be over Gabbard’s nomination. As a group, Senate Republicans traditionally oppose. Trump and the MAGA movement on foreign policy — more NeoCon than isolationist. Yet, she glided through to confirmation and is now in charge of America’s intelligence apparatus.

If you gave the Senate Republicans truth serum, they would undoubtedly admit that Tulsi Gabbard serving as DNI is an insane and irresponsible thing to do, but they did it anyway. Why and what does it tell us about the state of the Republican Party?

1. There Are No Safeguards

Gabbard’s confirmation is more proof that Congress will not impose checks or balances on Trump. He can do whatever he wants, and the Republicans will go along with it. We have always expected that from the House, but we hoped that enough Senators would push back against Trump’s most dangerous impulses. Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, and Mitch McConnell are known Trump-skeptics who have periodically broken with him. All it would take is one more semi-brave soul to abide by their constitutional authority. But they have confirmed a weekend cable host with a reported drinking problem and accusations of sexual assault as Defense Secretary. They are about to confirm a vaccine skeptic as head of Health and Human Services and a Trump loyalist who published a literal enemies list as FBI Director.