Topline
President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday named ex-Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard as his director of national intelligence, praising her experience as a veteran and her “broad support in both Parties” when announcing her appointment, even as Gabbard has blasted Democrats since leaving the party and emerged as a controversial figure on foreign policy matters.
Key Facts
Gabbard—who served in the House representing Hawaii from 2013 to 2021 and briefly ran for president as a Democrat in 2020—endorsed Trump in August and joined his transition team shortly after.
Gabbard left the Democratic Party in 2022 to become an independent, saying at the time that Democrats were an “elitist cabal of warmongers driven by cowardly wokeness,” before joining the Republican Party this October.
Gabbard has long been a critic of U.S. foreign policy—recently criticizing U.S. aid to Ukraine—and The New York Times reported her selection as director of intelligence indicates Trump’s intention to give foreign policy roles to those “deeply skeptical of the effectiveness of U.S. military intervention abroad.”
She drew criticism in 2017 after she quietly visited Syria and met with President Bashar al-Assad, saying at the time she did so “because I felt that it’s important that if we profess to truly care about the Syrian people, about their suffering, then we’ve got to be able to meet with anyone that we need to if there is a possibility that we can achieve peace.”
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Two years later, during her presidential run, Gabbard refused to call him a war criminal and said he was “not the enemy of the United States because Syria does not pose a direct threat to the United States.”
Gabbard also did not give a direct answer when asked if she would trust the U.S. intelligence community if she were elected, saying, “We have, in our recent past, a situation where our own government told lies to the American people, and to the United Nations for that matter, to launch a war,” referencing the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Gabbard was a member of the Hawaii National Guard and was deployed to Iraq in 2005, and said she endorsed Trump in part because she said he sees “war as a last resort” and “understands the grave responsibility that a president” bears for the lives of those serving their country.”
What Does The Director Of National Intelligence Do?
If confirmed by Congress, Gabbard would be responsible for overseeing the implementation of the National Intelligence Program and acting as the main adviser to Trump, the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council on intelligence matters tied to national security. Gabbard would oversee 18 different spy agencies, The New York Times reported, and would also prepare a daily briefing for Trump—which he reportedly did not often read in his first term. John Ratcliffe—who Trump recently named as his pick for the director of the CIA—served as the director of intelligence during Trump’s first term.
Crucial Quote
Gabbard, in a tweet, thanked Trump “for the opportunity to serve as a member of your cabinet to defend the safety, security and freedom of the American people.”
Key Background
Since leaving the Democratic Party, Gabbard has been a frequent guest on conservative news outlets and vocally critical of Democrats, calling Trump’s opponent Vice President Kamala Harris “anti-freedom … pro-censorship … pro-open borders … pro-war without even pretending to care about peace.” She was rumored to be in the running to be Trump’s running mate, and said in May she would “be honored” to do so. After endorsing Trump this year, she helped him prepare for his debate against Harris, which the Trump team said was in part because she “successfully dominated Kamala Harris on the debate stage in 2020.”
News Peg
Trump has been steadily announcing his cabinet picks since winning the election. Other notable appointments so far include billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the new “Department of Government Efficiency,” Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense and Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., as attorney general.
Surprising Fact
If confirmed, Gabbard will replace Avril Haines, who was sworn in under President Joe Biden in 2021 and became the first woman to lead the U.S. intelligence community.
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