SCOOP: Why Tom Cotton and Tulsi Gabbard back Joe Francescon at NSA

Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) and Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) are leading the charge to back a crucial intelligence nominee into his role.

This collaboration comes after Cotton recently praised Gabbard’s revamp of the Office of Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). Now, both are going all out to defend Joe Francescon’s nomination to be Deputy Director of the National Security Agency (NSA) amidst a trickle of criticism of Francescon.

Cotton, who chairs the Senate’s Select Committee on Intelligence, said that “Francescon’s wealth of experience makes him a great choice as Deputy Director of the National Security Agency.”

“I know Joe will help safeguard the United Stares from the wide-range of global threats we face,” Cotton added.

A source familiar with Cotton’s thinking explained to the Washington Reporter that “Francescon is a highly-respected operator who has a ton of experience taking on China and Iran.”

“Every conservative who works with him has said he’s a rock-star,” the source said. “He’s also committed to rooting out the remaining libs who politicized the agency.”

“He’s an America First conservative to the core,” the source added.

Francescon previously served in the NSA, as well as at the Pentagon and in the National Security Council (NSC) during the first Trump administration.

Upon the announcement of Francescon’s new role, Gabbard and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that “Joe has served our country with distinction at the highest levels of national security, from the Intelligence Community to the Pentagon and overseas.”

“With his wealth of experience countering foreign threats, Joe is exceptionally qualified to lead the next generation of American cybersecurity experts, spearheading efforts to outmaneuver evolving threats and counter our adversaries,” Gabbard and Hegseth added.

One current senior intelligence official described Francescon to the Reporter as a “proven national security leader who proudly served in the first Trump administration and has remained a steadfast supporter of President Trump’s America First agenda. He will continue advancing the President’s foreign policy vision, ensuring America’s intelligence posture is strong, unapologetic, and aligned with U.S. interests first.”

Francescon has unified Gabbard and Cotton. His selection was also praised by House Intelligence Committee chairman Rick Crawford (R., Ark.), Sen. Mike Lee (R., Utah), and others.

The pick is not without its critics. Francescon responded to these criticisms to the Reporter. Most criticisms, which a Francescon ally described as “extremely weak and forced,” center around a donation that he made to Rep. Jason Crow (D., Colo.), and the role of his wife at the NSC.

Regarding his donation to Crow, Francescon explained that his 2023 donation of $500 “was done in conjunction with multiple other donations by the executive team of High Point Aerotechnologies for a Congressional lobbying effort for Mr. Crow, whose district included our primary manufacturing facility at the time,” Francescon said. “This is my sole Democrat donation and all executives were asked to contribute.”

Francescon noted that he also donated heavily to Republicans, alongside other officials at his company.

“Donations were meant to support engagement on policies or appropriations actions benefiting my company.”

Regarding the role of his wife, Millicent Hennessey, Francescon explained that “Millicent was a Trump political hire who transitioned to a direct-hire NSC role at the direction of Trump White House politicals, where she coordinated NSC policy towards China and served as the Chief of Staff to the Deputy National Security Advisor under Robert O'Brien.”

“Her role post-Trump was in the NSC's Records and Access department, where she oversaw the approval of Trump-admin official publications,” he said. “Without her, numerous books and articles from senior 45 admin officials, like Kash Patel, Michael Ellis, Robert O'Brien, Alex Gray, and Chris Miller would not have made it through pre-pub review.”

“She also adjudicated most FOIA requests to the NSC, ensuring names of 45 admin officials remained protected” Francescon continued.

For a few months, Hennessey worked at Samsung, which donates to politicians of both parties.

“All executives were expected to donate to the PAC, and she had no control over how those donations went,” Francescon explained. “Samsung's PAC donations during that time were approximately 54 percent to 46 percent split between Ds and Rs.”