Trump Nominee Tulsi Gabbard Flip-Flops On Key Issue Amid Confirmation Fight

The former lawmaker offered an olive branch to GOP national security hawks who hold the keys to her confirmation as Trump's director of national intelligence.

WASHINGTON ― Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has changed her stance on a controversial government program she once sought to repeal as she battles for confirmation to become Donald Trump’s director of national intelligence.

During her time in Congress, Gabbard, a former Democrat who has embraced Trump, advocated for ending so-called Section 702 authority that allows the government to track foreigners outside the U.S. who are suspected of spying.

Critics have labeled the Sept. 11, 2001-era program “warrantless surveillance” because it has been misused to sometimes track American citizens.

Now, with her confirmation in doubt in the GOP-controlled Senate, Gabbard is making clear to key Republican senators that she would maintain the program if she joins Trump’s administration.

“If confirmed as DNI, I will uphold Americans’ Fourth Amendment rights while maintaining vital national security tools like Section 702 to ensure the safety and freedom of the American people,” Gabbard said in a statement obtained Friday by Punchbowl News.