WASHINGTON — Utah Sen. John Curtis remains unconvinced on Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination to be the next director of national intelligence, telling reporters he walked away from her confirmation hearing with “more questions than answers” on her policy stances.
“Some of her responses, and non-responses, created more confusion than clarity and only deepened my concerns about her judgement and what that will mean in this vital role,” Curtis said in a statement to the Deseret News.
Gabbard testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday, where she faced tough questions about her foreign policy stances from members of both parties. Although Curtis does not sit on the committee, the junior senator said he attended the hearing because of his desire to “see the confirmation process unfold in full.”
Part of that, he said, is to meet with the nominees, review their past statements, and watch their hearings.
But answers from Gabbard, who is among the most controversial of President Donald Trump’s nominees, failed to assuage Curtis’ concerns.
“With Ms. Gabbard, I have said that it was like having a sheet of music that was missing notes. I had hoped that listening to the hearing today that she would fill in those gaps,” Curtis said. “Frankly, there are many notes still missing and a number of sour notes and awkward silences that simply don’t ring true as a political philosophy on critical national security issues.”
Curtis has not yet made a final decision on whether he would support Gabbard’s nomination if she advances to the full Senate for a vote. But his support could be crucial for the DNI nominee. If all Democrats oppose her, Republicans can only afford to lose three votes.
Curtis has emerged as a key swing vote for Trump’s Cabinet picks, often keeping his cards close to his chest on which way he is leaning for crucial nominations until the last moment. The Utah Republican turned heads when he voted in favor of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was confirmed after Vice President JD Vance cast a tiebreaking vote in a late-night vote last week.
Curtis has since vowed to carefully review all nominees, but he is careful not to give away his thoughts until he makes a final decision. That will make him a key senator to watch for the confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy as Health and Human Services secretary, who also faces an uphill battle.