‘The next Liz Cheney’: Young faces political pressure over Gabbard vote
Indiana U.S. Sen. Todd Young is facing a wave of political pressure over whether he will vote to confirm Tulsi Gabbard, who President Donald Trump tapped to serve as Director of National Intelligence.
Young, a Republican who serves on the Senate Intelligence Committee, could be a crucial vote in whether Gabbard's nomination will move out of the committee and to the Senate floor. The senator has not publicly said how he will vote on her nomination and his office said they had no updates to share Monday. The committee is expected to vote on Gabbard's nomination Tuesday afternoon.
The public attacks on Young, who did not endorse Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, have risen since Thursday when Young was among senators who questioned Gabbard and her past support of whistleblower Edward Snowden during her confirmation hearing. Gabbard is a former Democratic congresswoman and 2020 presidential candidate who switched parties and endorsed Trump in 2024.
"I think it would befit you, and be helpful to the way you are perceived by members of the intelligence community," Young told Gabbard during the hearing, "if you would at least acknowledge the greatest whistleblower in American history, so-called, harmed national security by breaking the laws of the land."
Since then, Vice President JD Vance called Young to discuss his concerns about Gabbard, POLITICO reported on Sunday. Posts on X from MAGA figures and Gabbard supporters have also been directed at Indiana’s senior senator.
“.@SenToddYoung is the new Liz Cheney,” wrote Meghan McCain, the daughter of the late Republican Sen. John McCain, in a post on X on Sunday. “Do the people of Indiana who voted for him know he is actively trying to stop @TulsiGabbard from getting her job she earned?”
Likewise on Sunday billionaire Elon Musk called Young a "deep state puppet" on X. Hours later he deleted the post and retracted his statement after speaking directly with Young.
Outside groups have been targeting Young about his support for Trump’s cabinet picks since at least December. Indiana was among the states included in a December digital ad buy from Heritage Action for America, a group associated with the Heritage Foundation, asking people to sign a petition urging senators to support “swift confirmation” of Trump’s nominees.
While Young was critical of Trump’s 2024 campaign, the senator has voted to confirm all of Trump’s cabinet members so far, including some of the more controversial nominees. In January, Young voted to confirm Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary and over the weekend said he would support Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
Mike Murphy, a former state representative who has been critical of Trump, said he believes people should be wary of criticism of Young coming from individuals who don’t have knowledge that Young may know from the Senate committee.
“He has access to information that very few people have access to,” Murphy said. ”Nobody should second guess his intellect or the intelligence he has picked up from being a committee member.”
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Young is in his second U.S. Senate term representing the Hoosier State and previously served in the House. He won reelection in 2022 by more than 20 percentage points against his Democratic opponent at the time. And in perhaps a more meaningful demonstration of his ability to withstand political criticism from the right, he faced no opponent in the Republican primary election in 2022 despite his status as one of the few Republican senators Trump hadn't endorsed.
Young’s current term ends in 2028, and he already has nearly $4.5 million in cash on hand as of December should he run for reelection.
Young’s Indiana colleague, U.S. Sen. Jim Banks, plans to support Gabbard and has posted public support for her.
“I served with Lt Col @TulsiGabbard in the House. She is a patriot who served her country during wartime,” Banks wrote on X on Monday. “DNI needs an outsider to fix it after the last 4 years. The Senate needs to confirm Tulsi ASAP!”
Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Brittany Carloni at brittany.carloni@indystar.com or 317-779-4468. Follow her on Twitter/X@CarloniBrittany.