One of President Donald Trump's most contentious Cabinet nominees is former Democratic congresswoman and presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard, whom he selected to be his director of national intelligence.

Despite the efforts of some senators to delay her confirmation, Gabbard is now finally scheduled to sit for confirmation hearings next week on Jan. 30, according to Just the News.

If eventually confirmed by the full Senate, the former Army veteran and congresswoman from Hawaii would be in charge of all of the nation's various intelligence agencies.

Confirmation hearing finally scheduled

The Hill reported that the scheduling of a confirmation hearing for DNI nominee Gabbard before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Jan. 30 comes following a failed effort by some Democrats to perpetually delay any advancement on her nomination.

They had objected to a lack of a complete FBI background check, ethics disclosure forms, and other paperwork outlining her qualifications for the position.

Some Democrats, as well as some Republicans, have also expressed concerns about rhetoric Gabbard used in the past that some deemed too favorable toward adversarial foreign leaders like Russian President Vladimir Putin or former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, her prior support for National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden, and her prior opposition to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows for spying on foreign nationals but has been abused to also spy on U.S. citizens.

Yet, Gabbard has made it clear that her loyalties unquestionably lie with the U.S. and, following some necessary legislative reforms, has changed her tune on the use of FISA Sec. 702, at least enough to win over the support of key Republican senators, such as Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Tom Cotton (R-AR).

Cotton, who was initially hesitant about the nomination in light of her prior opposition to that vital intelligence tool, recently told reporters, "Tulsi Gabbard has assured me in our conversations that she supports Section 702 as recently amended and that she will follow the law and support its reauthorization as DNI."

Gabbard confirmation not guaranteed

Of course, getting a confirmation hearing scheduled for Gabbard is only a first step toward her potentially taking on the DNI role, as she will then need to perform well enough in that hearing to earn the support of a majority of the Senate Intelligence Committee, after which she must then win a majority of votes from the full Senate to be confirmed.

That is no small task, and Semafor reported this week that Gabbard's nomination is "on shaky ground" and not at all guaranteed to be confirmed.

Though no Republican senators have come out publicly in opposition to Gabbard, some have allegedly raised private concerns, with one unnamed GOP senator telling the outlet, "There are very serious concerns by enough members to put her nomination in jeopardy," and another adding that she "has a lot of questions to answer."

Meanwhile, President Trump is said to still be fully supportive of Gabbard but is hoping to see a more aggressive fight by the nominee to win over crucial support, with one anonymous White House source saying, "She’s got to prove herself."

Gabbard spox expresses confidence

Semafor reported that a spokeswoman for Gabbard, Alexa Henning, pointed out that there is no major GOP opposition to Gabbard's nomination and that members of the Intelligence Committee she's met with from both parties "have shown positive support for her nomination and qualifications."

"She’s met with almost every GOP Senator in the U.S. Senate and Democrats who’ve accepted her invitation to meet," the spokeswoman added. "She is continuing the advice and consent process in the Senate and looks forward to her hearing."