President-elect Donald Trump has announced his nomination of former House Democrat Tulsi Gabbard to be the director of national intelligence. Gabbard, who previously endorsed Trump and joined the Republican Party, is a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve and served in Iraq. If confirmed, she will be the first person of color to hold this position. Gabbard has been criticized for meeting with Bashar al-Assad and has clashed with the U.S. intelligence community’s assessments of Russian disinformation. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer, criticized Gabbard’s nomination, citing her promotion of conspiracy theories and associations with dictators. Gabbard has also been critical of the House Jan. 6 committee and the Biden-Harris administration, especially regarding the persecution of Donald Trump. Spanberger and others express concern about Gabbard’s lack of experience in the intelligence world and her past statements promoting Russian propaganda. Gabbard has a history of diverging from the Democratic Party and has been seen as an unconventional choice for the role of director of national intelligence.
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Trump appoints Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence
