Who is Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's new national intelligence director?

Who Is Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's Intelligence Pick?

Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic representative who switched to the Republican Party to support Donald Trump, has been chosen by the president-elect to serve as the director of national intelligence.

In this extensive position, she would be in charge of U.S. intelligence organizations such as the CIA, FBI, and NSA, all of which specialize in collecting intelligence.

The nomination has sparked concerns about Gabbard's limited background in intelligence and has also brought up allegations that she has previously promoted Russian propaganda.

She will need to be approved by the Senate before assuming the position.

If she takes on the position, Gabbard would be responsible for a budget exceeding $70 billion (£55 billion) and would supervise 18 intelligence agencies.

However, the nomination has drawn criticism from certain groups.

In response to the nomination on X, Democratic Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger from Virginia, who is part of the House Intelligence Committee, expressed her shock and disapproval of Tulsi Gabbard's appointment.

"She lacks both the necessary skills and readiness for the task at hand, and she engages in spreading conspiracy theories while fostering relationships with authoritarian leaders like Bashar al-Assad and Vladimir Putin," she stated.

Gabbard, a military veteran who worked with a medical unit in Iraq, has accomplished several notable milestones in her political career.

In 2002, at the age of 21, she became the youngest individual ever elected to the Hawaii State Legislature. After serving just one term, she stepped away from her position when her National Guard unit was sent to Iraq.

Gabbard served as Hawaii's representative in Congress from 2013 to 2021, making history as the first Hindu member of the House.

In the past, she advocated for progressive issues such as public healthcare, tuition-free college, and stricter gun regulations. These topics were central to her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, but she eventually withdrew from the race and backed Joe Biden.

In 2022, she departed from the Democratic Party and first signed up as an independent. She criticized her old party, claiming it was an “elitist group of warmongers” motivated by “timid wokeness.”

After joining Fox News as a contributor, she actively spoke out on issues like gender and freedom of expression. She also emerged as a strong supporter of Donald Trump and recently joined the Republican Party less than a month ago.

"Contentious Comments On Syria And Ukraine"

In 2019, while Gabbard was attempting to win the Democratic presidential nomination, her opponents criticized her for seemingly receiving positive attention from Russian state media.

That year, she also came under fire for what many viewed as her backing of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is considered a major ally of Russia.

She stated that Assad "is not considered an adversary of the United States since Syria does not directly threaten the U.S." She also justified her decision to meet with him in 2017 during Trump's first term.

That same year, she told CNN in an interview that she was "doubtful" about the Syrian government's involvement in a chemical weapons attack that resulted in the deaths of many individuals.

Trump stated that there is no doubt Syria employed prohibited chemical weapons. His comments came after the United States conducted a missile strike on a Syrian airbase as a reaction to the situation.

In 2019, Gabbard referred to Assad as a "cruel dictator."

Gabbard has also expressed several contentious opinions regarding Russia and its extensive invasion of Ukraine.

In a social media post on the day Russia launched its invasion, she expressed that the conflict might have been avoided if the United States and its Western allies had acknowledged Russia's genuine security worries regarding Ukraine's intention to join NATO.

The next month, she claimed it was an "irrefutable truth" that there were American-funded biological laboratories in Ukraine capable of "unleashing and distributing lethal germs," all while she advocated for a ceasefire.

In reply, Republican Senator Mitt Romney commented that Gabbard had adopted "genuine Russian propaganda."

Russian television is suggesting that her appointment as intelligence director could make relations between Washington and Ukraine more complicated.

Dmitry Melnikov, a reporter for Rossiya 1, commented that her nomination "does not bring positive signs for Kyiv." He pointed out that previously she "publicly blamed the Biden administration for inciting Russia."

The host of the channel noted that Gabbard had been very critical of Zelensky and had advocated for talks with Russia.

Further contributions from Karine Mirumyan at BBC Monitoring.