Robert F. Kennedy, Matt Gaetz, and Pete Hegseth
Recently, Donald Trump has stirred conversations across political circles with his announcements about potential cabinet members for a second term, leading to varied reactions within the federal government. A particular focus has emerged on Tulsi Gabbard, whom Trump has nominated for the position of Director of National Intelligence.
Gabbard, a former Congresswoman from Hawaii representing the Democratic party, does not possess formal intelligence experience and has made several contentious statements regarding countries such as Russia and Syria, raising questions about her qualifications for this crucial role. If confirmed, she would be responsible for overseeing the nation’s 16 intelligence agencies and managing sensitive national security operations.
“We’re all taken aback,” commented an intelligence official with experience spanning multiple administrations.
Many analysts within the intelligence community are particularly concerned that Gabbard may suppress intelligence findings that reflect poorly on Russia or cut funding for vital investigations. Some officials are even considering resigning should she take the helm.
The role of Director of National Intelligence was established after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks to ensure a unified approach to national security and the sharing of critical information regarding significant threats. Typically, the Senate Intelligence Committee must approve the nominee, which involves scrutinizing financial disclosures and conducting an FBI background check. These measures are designed to confirm that the nominee has no significant debts or foreign ties that could jeopardize their ability to lead thousands of intelligence personnel across various agencies, including the FBI, CIA, and NSA.
In sharp contrast to the current Director, Avril Haynes, who boasts extensive experience in intelligence roles—including her tenure as deputy director of the CIA during the Obama administration—Gabbard’s background is markedly different. Haynes has spent decades immersed in intelligence work.
During her time in Congress, Gabbard did not serve on the House Intelligence Committee; instead, she participated in committees focused on armed services, foreign affairs, and homeland security.
Gabbard first rose to national prominence in 2012 when she became the first Hindu, the first American Samoan, and one of the first female combat veterans elected to Congress. Prior to her congressional tenure, she served in Iraq in 2004 as part of a medical unit with the Hawaii Army National Guard and currently holds the rank of lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve.
Over the last decade, Gabbard has notably strayed from conventional foreign policy perspectives. She has frequently voiced skepticism towards American intelligence assessments and has adopted positions that resonate with Russian viewpoints.
In 2017, while still serving in Congress, Gabbard met with Syrian President Bashar Assad after the U.S. cut diplomatic ties in response to his brutal actions against his citizens. Russia has historically backed Assad, providing military support to strengthen his regime during Syria’s ongoing civil conflict. Gabbard opposed U.S. backing for opposition forces supported by American intelligence agencies.
Later that same year, following a chemical weapons attack in northern Syria, Gabbard sided with Russian assertions that Assad was not culpable, despite a United Nations inquiry confirming the Syrian military’s involvement.
Shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Gabbard promoted a video that propagated a debunked conspiracy theory suggesting that pathogens could escape from biolabs in Ukraine—an idea advanced by Russian propaganda. Former Representative Adam Kinzinger criticized Gabbard for sharing “actual Russian propaganda,” while Senator Mitt Romney labeled her claims as “fake Russian propaganda.”
This was not the first time Gabbard faced allegations of supporting Russian interests. During her 2019 presidential bid, she received favorable media coverage from Russian outlets, prompting Hillary Clinton to suggest that a Democrat was being “groomed” by Russia to run as a third-party candidate to assist Trump’s re-election. Many speculated that Clinton was alluding to Gabbard, who later accused Clinton of trying to “destroy” her reputation.
In a significant turn, Gabbard announced her exit from the Democratic Party two years ago, denouncing it as being “under the complete control of an elitist cabal of warmongers driven by cowardly wokeness.” Just last month, she publicly identified with the Republican Party during a rally for Donald Trump in North Carolina.
Interestingly, Gabbard has not always shared Trump’s views. She openly criticized his 2015 decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, which had support from not only the Obama administration but also Iran, Russia, China, France, Germany, and the U.K. Additionally, she condemned Trump’s 2020 order to eliminate Iranian General Qassim Soleimani, asserting that it violated constitutional protocols by targeting a foreign military leader without congressional consent.
