Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman who switched to the Republican Party and supported Donald Trump, has been nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to be the director of national intelligence. This role would involve overseeing US intelligence agencies, including the CIA, FBI, and NSA. Despite her lack of experience in intelligence and accusations of amplifying Russian propaganda, Gabbard will require Senate confirmation for the position.
Criticism of Gabbard’s nomination has come from Democratic congresswoman Abigail Spanberger, who called her “ill-prepared and unqualified” and accused her of promoting conspiracy theories and cozying up to dictators like Assad and Putin. Gabbard is a military veteran who served in Iraq and became the first Hindu to serve in the House of Representatives. She focused on liberal causes like government-run healthcare and gun control, and ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 before dropping out and endorsing Joe Biden.
Gabbard made controversial remarks on Syria and Ukraine, including questioning Assad’s status as an enemy of the US and suggesting that Russia had legitimate security concerns in Ukraine. These statements have drawn criticism from lawmakers like Mitt Romney, who accused her of embracing Russian propaganda. Russian media has framed her nomination as intelligence director as likely to complicate US relations with Ukraine, as she has been critical of Ukrainian President Zelensky and called for dialogue with Russia.
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