Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination to be director of national intelligence was met with mixed reactions from Republicans on Capitol Hill, though no Republicans who spoke to Jewish Insider on Thursday suggested plans to oppose her nomination.

Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman who switched parties last month while campaigning for President-elect Donald Trump, has adopted unorthodox foreign policy positions during her political career. In 2017, she met with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in Damascus after he had committed atrocities against his own people. In 2019, when asked about the trip on MSNBC, she said Syria was “not the enemy of the United States, because Syria does not pose a direct threat to the United States.”

In 2020, Gabbard criticized Trump for launching the military strike that killed Iranian Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani, saying Trump committed “an act of war” with Iran that would be costlier than the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

And in 2022, she blamed NATO and the U.S. for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Some Republicans said they wanted to dig into those views during Gabbard’s confirmation process.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) told Jewish Insider that she had not reached a final decision on how she would vote on Gabbard, but argued that “speculation” about the former congresswoman’s positions demonstrated the need for a full Senate confirmation process. 

“I don’t know her at all so it would be premature for me to reach a judgment, but those are questions that I would want to ask her,” Collins said. “And I’ve heard a lot of speculation about where she is in terms of Russia, for example, but that’s a nominee that illustrates the importance of a full background check, a public hearing and the constitutional role of the Senate on advice and consent, rather than doing some sort of recess appointment.”

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) noted to JI that Senate Republicans “pledged to President Trump that we’d certainly consider on a timely basis all of his nominees.”

Asked if he had concerns about her positions on Russia, Iran and Syria that he planned to raise during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Cornyn replied: “I would want to know about all that.”

“I have no doubt that she’s a patriot, having served in the military, but those are responsibilities in the position of trust for the nation,” he said. “We need to understand and get all those answers to those questions.”

Meanwhile, other hawkish Senate Republicans — including Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) — appeared enthusiastic about the nomination.

“I like her,” Graham said, noting they had been in the same Army Reserve unit at one point. “We have different foreign policy positions at times, but I’m going to do with Trump what I did with everybody: let you pick your people, defer to your choice unless it’s too far.”

“We’ll see how they do,” he continued, but noted he’d voted for a range of Democratic nominees disliked by conservatives. “I said, ‘How did you do in the process? Did you understand the role you’re in?’”

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) said that he knows Gabbard personally and has no concerns about her foreign policy positions. 

“I think Tulsi will do a wonderful job as DNI,” Mullin told JI. “She’s served in the military. She understands the threats as well as anybody, and she continues to serve. I also consider her a very, very close friend, and I think she’ll do a phenomenal job there. I’m excited for her.”

Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) also described Gabbard as a friend and said, “I look forward to the hearing process and seeing her. She’s an amazing individual, very talented.”

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), a libertarian who takes isolationist foreign policy stances, said on social media, “Her military service and dedication to our Constitutional rights make her a strong choice for this critical role. Wishing her success in leading our intelligence community.”

Several Senate Republicans did not offer a firm position on whether they’re going to support Gabbard, saying they wanted to hear from her further.

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) said that he was “going to take a look at” Gabbard’s resume, adding that he would consider all of Trump’s nominees. 

“The president will receive the benefit of the doubt in making his nominations. We will do our due diligence and we will look at the background checks and so forth. That is as it should be, and the Senate takes that very seriously,” Rounds said. 

“I think we’ll make our minds up after we have a chance to see what the background reports are and after we have a chance to question her personally and in front of the committee,” he added.

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) called the pick “interesting” and said she looked forward to meeting with Gabbard, declining to comment beyond that.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) didn’t comment on Gabbard specifically, saying instead, “I’m confident that the Senate will consider every nominee on the merits.”

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) said he didn’t have any comment on Gabbard specifically because he’s not on the relevant committee, but said that his “presumption is that I’ll support her” and the rest of Trump’s nominees “and they’ll go through their confirmation process and I hope quickly, expeditiously.”

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), the first Senate Democrat to announce his plans to vote for one of Trump’s cabinet picks, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), said, “there’s going to be all kinds of appointments that some of us will support, and some of us will be unable to vote for. I’m not going to freak out about whoever these people appoint. America elected Trump and you’re going to expect all kinds of appointments.”

He characterized some of Trump’s picks, such as Rubio, as “serious and quality,” and some, such as former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), as “obvious kinds of trolls,” and said he didn’t think it was helpful to be “clutching the pearls” about Trump’s selections. He didn’t say which camp he felt Gabbard fell into.

Michael Makovsky, the CEO of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, told JI, “it’s hard to know what to expect from Gabbard in this position.”

“On the one hand, she’s a smart army veteran with eight years of experience serving on important House committees dealing with national security,” Makovsky said. “On the other hand, her sympathetic views of Syrian leader Assad and her over-the-top criticism of President Trump’s admirable strike against Qassem Soleimani should be a legitimate line of inquiry during her confirmation hearings.”

He said that what will be “most critical” will be whether Gabbard can “reassure the Senate and the American people that she will never allow her personal biases to alter or influence the underlying intelligence that she provides the President of the United States and other top policymakers, including in Congress.”