A singular threat from President Donald Trump loomed over both congressional hearings covering the Department of Homeland Security and the intelligence community, according to an MS NOW analyst.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) faced his colleagues in a Senate confirmation hearing as Trump's nominee to lead DHS, and intel chief Tulsi Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and FBI Director Kash Patel faced questions from the Senate Intelligence Committee, but journalist Paolo Ramos told host Ana Cabrera that one topic loomed over both hearings.
"I'mtrying to connect the dots, andI think Sen. [Mark] Warner (D-VA) and Sen. [Ruben] Gallego (D-AZ) are pointing to the same thing, which is sort of the elephant, theelephant in the room: Willthere be free and fairelections?" Ramos said.
Warner pressed the director of national intelligence about her presence at the FBI raid of a Fulton County, Georgia, election facility, while Gallego challenged Mullin to agree that Joe Biden had won the 2020 election in Arizona, which he refused to do, and Ramos said the Democratic senators were pointing to the same concern.
"This split-screen momentbetween both of these hearingsshould concern us," Ramos said. "You have Tulsi Gabbard sort ofstruggling to respond to whatshe was doing in Fulton Countyduring that election search.Then you have on the other sidethis election denier, someonethat refused to certify the2020 election, someone thatstill could not answer toSen. Gallego whether or not he believed that Joe Biden wasthe president of the United States. He did not answer thatquestion."
"All of this happeningin the background as the Senateis about to debate the SAVE Act," she added. "So what I would have loved forSen. Gallego to then askSen. Mullin is, will yourule out ICE agents going topolling locations, somethingthat Kristi Noem was unable toanswer during the last hearing."