Megyn Kelly said even Republican senators were very negative on Tulsi Gabbard at the hearing.
Right-wing commentator Megyn Kelly on her podcast shared her experience of witnessing the confirmation hearing of Tulsi Gabbard, the new Director of National Intelligence, as Republicans turned the heat on Gabbard. Kelly said a bunch of "old naysayers" had a problem because Tulsi Gabbard is different. "She looks different. She sounds different. She doesn't say all the things that all the others have said. And it took quite a bit of browbeating to get these Republican senators in line. I mean the letters she had to write. They really make you bend the knee when you are in her position," Kelly said about the confirmation hearing.
Tulsi Gabbard was confirmed at the DNI with 52-48 votes. All Democrats and two Independents including Bernie Sanders, and Republican Mitch McConnell voted against Gabbard. McConnell did the same to defense secretary Pete Hegseth as well forcing vice president JD Vance to use his vote to break the tie and get Hegseth confirmed.
On her podcast, Megyn Kelly asked about the logic of Republicans opposing Donald Trump's picks after his "overwhelming victory".
"Tulsi is in now, and that’s that. All we really needed was the ‘yes’ vote, and we thank them for that. There should, however, be a conversation about exactly what extractions are appropriate for senators to demand of Cabinet nominees. They are working for Trump, right? They have oversight by the Congress, but they are not working Congress. They weren’t hired by you directly, senator," Megyn Kelly said.
"But I think there will be a conversation to come on those who harassed people like Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Tulsi into ‘you will adopt all of my policy positions or I won’t vote yes on you.’ You are not the president. It is annoying," Kelly added.
"Tulsi got through and that is the important thing. Thank goodness. Things are going to change. They are going to change within the intelligence services and the coordination of intel. Maybe we won’t be so quick to say things like ‘WMD’ or have 51 former intelligence officials cooperating with the agencies to undermine a presidential candidate. We need change," Kelly said.