A group of nearly 100 former national security officials urged the Senate to “carefully scrutinize” former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (Hawaii), President-elect Trump’s nominee to serve as director of national intelligence.
The letter raises a number of concerns about Gabbard, a former Democratic representative and presidential candidate, questioning her experience level and a series of past controversial comments, as well as a meeting with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad.
Gabbard has come under fire for sharing views that counter the conclusions drawn by the intelligence community she would oversee through the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which coordinates among the 18 intelligence agencies.
Those views, the officials wrote, call into question “her ability to deliver unbiased intelligence briefings to the President, Congress, and to the entire national security apparatus.”
“The Senate must carefully evaluate whether Ms. Gabbard is equipped to effectively oversee an organizational structure as unique and large as the National Intelligence Program and also the effect of her holding this position on the willingness of our closest allies to share intelligence with the U.S.”
The Trump transition team said the letter was an effort to “smear and imply things about their political enemy without putting the facts out.”
The letter points to her Syria trip as an example of Gabbard aligning "herself with Russian and Syrian officials."
"She publicly cast doubt on U.S. intelligence reports and overwhelming public reporting that Assad carried out chemical weapons attacks against Syrian civilians, giving credence to the debunked conspiracy that the attack was staged by agents of the United Kingdom,” the group wrote in a letter organized by Foreign Policy for America.
They added, “In response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine launched in early 2022, Ms. Gabbard similarly released a video insinuating that U.S.-funded labs in Ukraine were developing biological weapons and that Ukraine’s engagement with NATO posed a threat to Russian sovereignty, both arguments initially used by Russia to justify its illegal invasion of Ukraine. Her sympathy for dictators like Vladimir Putin and Assad raises questions about her judgment and fitness.”
The letter also encourages senators to do some consideration of Gabbard in a closed session, so that they can weigh “all information available to the U.S. government” about Gabbard, including her obligation to protect intelligence sources and methods.
The letter also argues Gabbard lacks the typical executive experience associated with those nominated for the role, calling her the "least experienced Director of National Intelligence since the position was created."
Gabbard faces an uphill battle for support in the Senate.
The letter’s signatories include former Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and former Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security John Tien, both Biden officials, as well as figures from the State Department, National Security Council, military, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence who have served under presidents of both parties.
Trump transition spokesperson Alexa Henning slammed the authors.
“This is a perfect example of why President Trump chose Tulsi Gabbard for this position. These unfounded attacks are from the same geniuses who have blood on their hands from decades of faulty ‘intelligence,’ including the non-existent weapons of mass destruction. These intel officials continue to use classification as a partisan weapon to smear and imply things about their political enemy without putting the facts out,” she said in a statement.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) also defended Gabbard, calling her “a decorated combat veteran trying to save America from unnecessary foreign wars and end illegal government operations against the American people—which is exactly why they voted for Donald Trump.”
“‘Experts’ are angry at this rejection of their failed consensus,” he wrote on the social platform X.