SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Tulsi Gabbard is stepping down as director of national intelligence, a Cabinet-level position. She said she is resigning to be with her husband, Abraham Williams, who has recently been diagnosed with cancer. NPR's Ron Elving joins us. Ron, thanks for being with us.
RON ELVING, BYLINE: Good to be with you, Scott.
SIMON: There have been rumors and reports that she would be departing the administration in the media for weeks. What seem to be the main challenges she faced?
ELVING: Gabbard was something of an outsider from the outset. She was a former Democrat who served in Congress, and she did not really have a deep background in the intelligence community. But a few years back, she won Trump's notice, praising his opposition to other presidents' wars and the noninterventionist stance that he was taking at the time. She even helped Trump prep for his debate against Kamala Harris in 2024.
However, Gabbard has also been a longtime outspoken opponent of the idea of attacking Iran. So you can imagine the president was not pleased with her testimony to Congress last year saying Iran was not a nuclear threat and was not building a nuclear weapon. Questioned about that at the time, Trump said Gabbard was simply wrong. And, of course, that viewpoint was contrary to the whole justification for the current war on Iran.
SIMON: There's opposition among lawmakers expressed this week to President Trump's plan to create a $1.8 billion fund, which could be used, among other things, to compensate the January 6 rioters who stormed the Capitol, said they wanted to hang Vice President Pence.
ELVING: Yes. There's resistance, especially among Senate Republicans. This amazing thrust on Trump's part would send tax dollars to a host of his most loyal allies, especially those who helped him try to overturn the 2020 election. And the most egregious example, as you say, has to be the rioters who beat on the cops who were defending the U.S. Capitol and the members of Congress on January 6, 2021.
That's why some of those cops were already suing to stop this settlement. And that's why former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called it a slush fund, said it was, quote, "utterly stupid or morally wrong. Take your pick." This is the Mitch McConnell who was the Republican leader in the Senate longer than anyone else. North Carolina Republican Senator Thom Tillis took his pick and said the fund was, quote, "stupid on stilts." And by the way, this one comes on the heels of another urgent request for a billion in tax money for the president's ballroom project.
And here's what was extraordinary. Trump was asking for these at the same time he was scrounging for votes in the Senate for a separate special bill to fund ICE and the Border Patrol, which Congress has yet to fund. And resistance to that was literally enough to send the Senate home early for its Memorial Day recess. And by the way, there was yet another reason for them to go out of town. Democrats are claiming there is now a bipartisan majority in both chambers to invoke the War Powers Act and rein in the president's war in Iran. And that's a vote the president does not want to happen.
SIMON: Details of the Democratic National Committee's report on the 2024 election were released, causing quite a stir over what it includes and what it didn't. What does this report, you think, portend for the party?
ELVING: You know, there are stresses on a party in power, but it can also be stressful not to be in power. The matter of this report - this so-called autopsy - has become a major embarrassment for the Democrats and especially their current chairman, Ken Martin. It made sense after the 2024 election loss to get under the hood, see what was wrong. But this report, written by a single campaign consultant, makes some good points but leaves huge gaps, ducks big issues. It was initially withheld, which looked bad. Now it's been released, and it looks worse.
SIMON: Acting Navy secretary told senators this week the U.S. has paused arms sales to Taiwan because it needs sufficient firepower for the war in Iran. Does this contradict what the administration's been saying?
ELVING: Certainly would appear to. It would seem to openly admit that the U.S. weapons supply has been depleted and that it is not being restored as fast as claimed. Now, the so-called pause in aid to Taiwan is especially worrisome, given that Trump was discussing the contents of this aid package with the Chinese leader during his recent visit. That's something previous presidents have refused to do. And now we see the aid to Taiwan being delayed. Is that a coincidence or another warning flag?
SIMON: Ron Elving, thanks so much.
ELVING: Thank you, Scott. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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