GOP Senator Roasted for ‘Remarkable’ Two-Line Statement Announcing Vote to Confirm Tulsi Gabbard

Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) raised eyebrows among journalists and pundits on Wednesday with a two-line statement announcing he will vote for Tulsi Gabbard to become President Donald Trump’s director of national intelligence.

Cassidy was considered a swing vote on many of Trump’s nominees, as he once voted to impeach Trump, but has instead closed ranks with his fellow Republicans.

“President Trump chose Tulsi Gabbard to be his point person on foreign intelligence. I will trust President Trump on this decision and vote for her confirmation,” read Cassidy’s statement in support of the former progressive congresswoman.

Cassidy, who is up for reelection in deep-red Louisiana in 2026, also voted to advance Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination as health secretary – despite being a staunch defender of vaccines as a medical doctor.

NBC News political reporter Sahil Kapur shared Cassidy’s statement and noted, “This is a remarkable statement from Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy on why he will support Tulsi Gabbard to be the next U.S. Director of National Intelligence.”

National Review’s Noah Rothman shared the statement and offered some polling data countering Cassidy’s logic, “CBS News poll: 60% of Rs want to see Republicans ‘support [Trump] when agree, push back when disagree.’ Pew Research Center poll: ‘55% say GOP representatives in Congress do not have to support the president when they disagree.’”

Gabbard’s nomination long appeared to be one of the most at risk of failing, but with Cassidy and Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) both agreeing to support her, she now appears all but certain to be confirmed.

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), a former Navy captain and astronaut, hammered Gabbard in a statement announcing his opposition to her nomination.

“Healthy skepticism is a good thing, but when someone consistently embraces sensational, but poorly supported claims while dismissing the thorough assessments of our intelligence community, it becomes dangerous. That’s why I pressed Congresswoman Gabbard during the hearing about her disputing Assad’s use of chemical weapons against his own people in Syria, but rather than ease my concerns, she confirmed them,” wrote Kelly, adding:

And there are more concerns I have, ranging from her advocating to pardon Edward Snowden after he gave our national security secrets to the Russians, to her wanting to get rid of intelligence collection tools that are used to prevent attacks on the United States and our servicemembers abroad. While she’s tried to walk away from these statements over the past few weeks to earn votes, her track record of hostility towards our intelligence community is far too long to dismiss.

Below are some additional reactions to Cassidy’s statement:

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