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Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Republican Sen.-elect Tim Sheehy endorsed former Democratic congresswoman turned Republican Tulsi Gabbard's nomination to head the Department of National Intelligence, making Sheehy one of the first of his colleagues to back her. Gabbard is one of President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet picks that has sparked the most backlash from both parties, and many Republican senators, and senator-elects, have kept quiet about her nomination.
“Tulsi Gabbard has my full confidence and support for her nomination to serve as DNI. I have known Tulsi since I was stationed in Hawaii and she was serving in Congress as a strong female combat veteran and patriot,” Sheehy said in a press release Monday. “Although we differed in political parties then, my wife and I, both serving on active duty at the time, respected the poise, intelligence, and combat service of Tulsi.
I'm glad to see Tulsi nominated for the top intelligence position in the country, and I know she will help us reorient the agencies responsible for advancing our national interests back toward their core mission of putting America first.” Transportation Commission approves Bell Crossing speed limit reduction Movie review: 'Conclave' digs into the secrets of picking a pope Feds amass 612-page file in a case of alleged slayings near Omaha. What does it mean? Meteor dazzles early-morning sky watchers in western Montana Suspect charged in grisly Moose Creek killing of camper Dustin Kjersem 344-acre Ellison Ranch preserved through conservation easement Live updates: No.
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S. Senate, hugs Tulsi Gabbard, a former U.S.
representative, an event in June at Rockin' TJ Ranch. Lauren Miller/Bozeman Daily Chronicle Sheehy acknowledged the backlash picking Gabbard has incited. “The party who nominated a cross-dressing kleptomaniac to serve in a sensitive national security role has no right to question the credibility of a congresswoman and combat veteran who served our nation honorably,” Sheehy said in the press release.
It’s unclear who is being referred to with “cross-dressing kleptomaniac,” and Sheehy’s office did not respond when asked for clarification. The leading concerns among Democrats and some Republicans is her lack of intimate intelligence experience and the sympathy Gabbard expressed for Russia and its invasion of Ukraine, as well as a past secret meeting she had with Syria’s president. The Department of National Intelligence was formed following the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center.
If confirmed, Gabbard, a veteran, would in part lead the country’s spy agencies and act as the president’s top intelligence adviser. Gabbard visited Kalispell and Bozeman to stump for Sheehy in June, where they spoke to crowds of hundreds of people. At the event, the senator-elect gave Gabbard a glowing introduction, saying he and his wife remembered fondly when a veteran they were familiar with was elected to the U.
S. Congress as a Democratic representative from Hawaii. "We were so proud when we saw Tulsi get elected," he said, adding twice that she's a "beautiful, articulate army officer.
" Gabbard said she came to Montana to campaign for Sheehy because outgoing Democratic Sen. Jon Tester has "fallen short" as chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. Sheehy has also endorsed Trump’s picks for energy secretary, Chris Wright, and interior secretary, North Dakota Gov.
Doug Burgum, two of the president-elect’s nominees that have caused less controversy than some others. In a video posted to X, Sheehy said he’s known Wright “for years.” Wright is a board member with Property Environmental Research Council (PERC), a Bozeman-based nonprofit think tank that promotes markets- and incentive-driven environmentalism, which Sheehy was formerly on the board of as well.
“[Wright] also understands that an all-of-the-above approach is key. There’s absolutely a place for wind, solar and most importantly nuclear. Nuclear energy is one of the greatest inventions in the history of mankind,” Sheehy said in the video.
“He also understands how [nuclear] fits into a fossil fuel-centric model which, like it or not, is going to be the center of American and global energy for a long time to come. Chris is an innovator, he's a disrupter, most of all, he’s a really, really good man.” Sheehy, also in a video posted to X, said he knows Burgum personally and praised his work as governor of North Dakota.
Sheehy focused on the importance of improving the country’s approach of combating wildfires; the senator-elect said “the Department of the Interior has a huge responsibility of doing better and more effectively than they are now.” “Doug Burgum is a stud in every possible way,” he added. Sheehy founded Bridger Aerospace, an aerial firefighting company that has made him millions, but he stepped down from his leadership roles earlier this year.
Sheehy has not yet weighed in on Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Defense, Peter Hegseth, and Sheehy’s staff declined to comment on Hegseth’s nomination. Sheehy and his wife’s military service was a defining part of his campaign for the U.S.
Senate; His messaging relied heavily on both his and his wife’s service while on the campaign trail. Sheehy’s wife, Carmen Sheehy, is also a combat veteran and they met in the U.S.
Naval academy. On a recent podcast appearance, Hegseth said that he does not believe women should serve in combat. Montana is home to one of the highest populations of veterans per capita.
Following November’s election, three out of four federal elected officials in Montana are veterans: Sheehy, Rep. Ryan Zinke and Rep-elect Troy Downing all served in the U.S.
military. The nomination that has arguably incited the most outrage is Trump’s choice for the nation’s top law enforcement job, former Rep. Matt Gaetz.
Gaetz was being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice — the very branch he’d be leading — for sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls.
Gaetz has emphatically denied these accusations and the DOJ never brought criminal charges. Gaetz, like Gabbard, also has a recent political history in Montana: Gaetz visited the state earlier this year to fundraise for Rep. Matt Rosendale’s brief bid for Senate.
Rosendale was challenging Sheehy for the Republican nomination for only a handful of days before he dropped out following Trump’s endorsement of Sheehy. In accordance with the U.S.
Constitution, when a new president assumes office, it is up to the Senate to vote in favor or against the key government leadership positions the president nominates. Trump has indicated that he may use “recess appointments” to install some of these cabinet members, despite the fact that the Republicans will hold a majority of the chamber. This means that Sheehy and Republican Sen.
Daines — whose office declined to comment — may not have to weigh in on some of the appointees. The U.S.
Constitution allows presidents to appoint cabinet members while the Senate is out of session, but there are some key drawbacks to bypassing a vote. Sheehy beat Tester by 7 points earlier this month, after Tester served three terms in the chamber and continually overcame Republican challengers. Sheehy is set to be sworn in to the Senate in early January.
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