Gabbard ignored shouted questions about her 2017 visit to war-torn Syria as she ducked into one of several private meetings with senators who are being asked to confirm Trump’s unusual nominees.

But the Democrat-turned-Republican Army National Reserve lieutenant colonel delivered a statement in which she reiterated her support for Trump’s America First approach to national security and a more limited U.S. military footprint overseas.

“I want to address the issue that’s in the headlines right now: I stand in full support and wholeheartedly agree with the statements that President Trump has made over these last few days with regards to the developments in Syria,” Gabbard said exiting a Senate meeting.

The incoming president’s Cabinet and top administrative choices are dividing his Republican allies and drawing concern, if not full opposition, from Democrats and others. Not just Gabbard, but other Trump nominees including Pentagon pick Pete Hegseth, were back at the Capitol ahead of what is expected to be volatile confirmation hearings next year.

The incoming president is working to put his team in place for an ambitious agenda of mass immigrant deportations, firing federal workers and rollbacks of U.S. support for Ukraine and NATO allies.

“We’re going to sit down and visit, that’s what this is all about,” said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., as he welcomed Gabbard into his office.

The president-elect announced other appointments Monday, including his lawyer Harmeet Dhillon for assistant attorney general for civil rights at the Justice Department and Mark Paoletta as the returning general counsel of the Office of Management and Budget.

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary pick Hegseth appeared to be picking up support from once-skeptical senators, the former Army National Guard major denying sexual misconduct allegations and pledging not to drink alcohol if he is confirmed.

The president-elect’s choice to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, who has written extensively about locking up Trump’s foes and proposed dismantling the Federal Bureau of Investigation, launched his first visits with senators Monday.

“I expect our Republican Senate is going to confirm all of President Trump’s nominees,” said Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., on social media.

Despite widespread concern about the nominees’ qualifications and demeanors for the jobs that are among the highest positions in the U.S. government, Trump’s team is portraying the criticism against them as nothing more than political smears and innuendo.

Showing that concern, nearly 100 former senior U.S. diplomats and intelligence and national security officials have urged Senate leaders to schedule closed-door hearings to allow for a full review of the government’s files on Gabbard.

Trump’s allies have described the criticisms of Hegseth in particular as similar to those lodged against Brett Kavanaugh, the former president’s Supreme Court nominee who denied a sexual assault allegation and went on to be confirmed during Trump’s first term in office.

Said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., about Hegseth: “Anonymous accusations are trying to destroy reputations again. We saw this with Kavanaugh. I won’t stand for it.”

One widely watched Republican, Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, herself a former Army National Guard lieutenant colonel and sexual assault survivor who had been criticized by Trump allies for her cool reception to Hegseth, appeared more open to him after their follow-up meeting Monday.

“I appreciate Pete Hegseth’s responsiveness and respect for the process,” Ernst said in a statement.

Ernst said that following “encouraging conversations,” he had committed to selecting a senior official who will “prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent sexual assault within the ranks. As I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources.”

Hegseth, in an interview late Monday with Sean Hannity of Fox News, said he had a “great meeting” with Ernst and “the fact that she’s willing to support me through this process means a lot.”

Hegseth said he had meetings scheduled this week with two other female Republican senators — Lisa Murkowski of Alaska on Tuesday and Susan Collins of Maine on Wednesday.

Ernst, meanwhile, also had praise for Patel — “He shares my passion for shaking up federal agencies” — and for Gabbard.

Once a rising Democratic star, Gabbard, who represented Hawaii in Congress, arrived a decade ago in Washington, her surfboard in tow, a new generation of potential leaders. She ran unsuccessfully for president in 2020.

But Gabbard abruptly left the party and briefly became an independent before joining with Trump’s 2024 campaign as one of his enthusiasts, in large part over his disdain for U.S. involvement overseas and opposition to helping Ukraine battle Russia.

Her visit to Syria to meet with then-President Bashar Assad around the time of Trump’s first inauguration during the country’s bloody civil war stunned her former colleagues and the Washington national security establishment. The U.S. had severed diplomatic relations with Syria. Her visit was seen by some as legitimizing a brutal leader who was accused of war crimes.

Gabbard has defended the trip, saying it’s important to open dialogue, but critics hear in her commentary echoes of Russia-fueled talking points. Assad fled to Moscow over the weekend after Islamist rebels overtook Syria in a surprise attack, ending his family’s five decades of rule.

She said her own views have been shaped by “my multiple deployments and seeing firsthand the cost of war and the threat of Islamist terrorism.”

Gabbard said, “It’s one of the many reasons why I appreciate President Trump’s leadership and his election, where he is fully committed, as he has said over and over, to bring about an end to wars.”

Last week, the nearly 100 former officials, who served in both Democratic and Republican administrations, said in the letter to Senate leaders they were “alarmed” by the choice of Gabbard to oversee all 18 U.S. intelligence agencies.

They said her past actions “call into question her ability to deliver unbiased intelligence briefings to the President, Congress, and to the entire national security apparatus.”

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence was created after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to coordinate the nation’s intelligence agencies and act as the president’s main intelligence adviser.

The post Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s pick for intel chief, faces questions on Capitol Hill amid Syria fallout appeared first on News Agency nabakhabar.

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol of the conservative People Power Party (PPP) was immersed in a flurry of diplomatic activity with the United States, China and Japan on his second day after winning the presidential election.

He had a phone call with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, followed by courtesy visits from the Chinese ambassador to Korea and charge d’affaires at the United States Embassy in Seoul, Friday.

According to Kim Eun-hye, a spokesperson for Yoon, the President-elect had a phone conversation with Kishida for about 15 minutes on Friday morning.

After sending condolences to the 11th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake, Yoon proposed to improve and strengthen bilateral ties as well as the trilateral relations between Korea, Japan and the U.S.

“Korea and Japan have many challenges to cooperate in the future such as security issues in Northeast Asia and economic prosperity, so we should work together to promote friendly cooperation between the two countries,” Yoon was quoted as saying during the call with Kishida.

Yoon and Kishida also exchanged ideas about North Korean issues including missile provocations, denuclearization and the abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korea.

Kishida expressed hope that under Yoon’s leadership, Korea-Japan ties can improve. According to Japanese media, Yoon and Kishida agreed to meet in person as soon as possible.

Kishida is the second head of state Yoon had a courtesy call after the U.S. President Joe Biden, Thursday.

Yoon also met Chinese Ambassador to Korea Xing Haiming at the PPP headquarters, Friday.

“Korea and China commemorates the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations this year and the ties have contributed greatly to economic development of both countries,” Yoon said, noting that China is Korea’s largest trading partner and Korea is among one of the top three trading partners of China.

Ambassador Xing conveyed a congratulatory message from Chinese President Xi Jinping, emphasizing South Korea as close neighbor and important cooperation partner.

“This year is an important year in the bilateral relationship between China and South Korea, as it marks 30 years since our establishment of diplomatic ties,” Xi was quoted as saying.

“Together with the South Korean side, the Chinese side is willing to firmly defend the original intentions of our establishment of diplomatic ties and deepen our friendly cooperation to promote the stable and long-term development of the China-South Korea strategic cooperative partnership relationship and bring welfare to the two nations and our peoples.”

In the afternoon, Yoon vowed to rebuild Korea-U.S. ties during a meeting with the U.S. charge d’affaires Christopher Del Corso.

Yoon said that the U.S. is the only ally of Korea and the “blood ties” between the two countries should be developed comprehensively encompassing economic, environmental, healthcare and technology based on security cooperation.

Del Corso replied he would cooperate more closely with the new administration to expand bilateral ties as two strong and vibrant democratic countries in the world.

Yoon implied that South Korea will increase participation in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, known as the Quad, a regional forum of the U.S., Australia, India and Japan. Charge d’affaires Del Corso said that the U.S. has a strong interest in the Quad shown at a recent meeting in Melbourne.

The post President-elect, Japanese PM agree to cooperate in response to North Korea threat appeared first on News Agency nabakhabar.

The post Top Republican Senator Mitch McConnell recognizes Joe Biden as president-elect appeared first on News Agency nabakhabar.