Why is Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s new intel tsar, so controversial?

United States President-elect Donald Trump has named Tulsi Gabbard arsenic his head of nationalist intelligence.

The Republican Party leader named nan erstwhile Democratic congresswoman arsenic portion of a bid of appointments to furniture and different key positions successful his administration. But his prime of Gabbard arsenic nan US intelligence main stands retired moreover among a statement of arguable appointments because of her positions connected cardinal overseas argumentation issues complete nan years. Trump’s latest prime is drafting occurrence moreover from immoderate Republicans.

So who is Gabbard, and why is her assignment truthful controversial?

Who is Tulsi Gabbard?

Gabbard, 43, was nan first Hindu successful nan US Congress arsenic good arsenic its first personnel calved successful nan US territory of American Samoa. She was raised successful Hawaii and spent a twelvemonth of her puerility successful nan Philippines. She is besides an Iraq warfare veteran, having served successful nan US military. Gabbard was besides deployed successful Kuwait.

She was a typical from Hawaii’s 2nd territory successful nan US House of Representatives for 4 position from 2013 to 2021. While she was successful nan House, she was a Democrat. Gabbard supported Senator Bernie Sanders successful his 2016 statesmanlike bid. She besides ran an unsuccessful presidential run successful 2020 arsenic a Democrat.

However, successful 2022, she near nan statement and became an independent. In a video connection she posted connected her YouTube transmission and X relationship successful October 2022, she said: “I tin nary longer stay successful today’s Democratic Party that is now nether nan complete power of an elitist cabal of warmongers driven by cowardly wokeness.” She besides accused nan statement of stoking “anti-white racism”.

I tin nary longer stay successful today’s Democratic Party that is now nether nan complete power of an elitist cabal of warmongers driven by cowardly wokeness, who disagreement america by racializing each rumor & stoke anti-white racism, actively activity to undermine our God-given freedoms, are… pic.twitter.com/oAuTnxZldf

— Tulsi Gabbard 🌺 (@TulsiGabbard) October 11, 2022

In August this year, Gabbard formally endorsed Trump successful his statesmanlike bid. In October, she announced she was joining nan Republican Party astatine a Trump rally successful North Carolina.

What does nan head of nationalist intelligence do?

The head of nationalist intelligence (DNI) is nan caput of nan US Intelligence Community, who oversees nan National Intelligence Program and serves arsenic an advisor to nan president, nan National Security Council and nan Homeland Security Council connected matters of nationalist security.

The position was created successful nan aftermath of nan September 11, 2001, attacks connected nan US. The first DNI was appointed by erstwhile President George W Bush successful 2005.

The National Intelligence Program costs intelligence activities successful respective national departments and nan Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

The Intelligence Community comprises 18 organisations, which nan DNI oversees. Besides nan CIA and nan Office of nan Director of National Intelligence, they are: Air Force Intelligence, Army Intelligence, Coast Guard Intelligence, Defense Intelligence Agency, Department of Energy, Department of Homeland Security, Department of State, Department of nan Treasury, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Marine Corps Intelligence, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, National Reconnaissance Office, National Security Agency, Navy Intelligence and Space Force Intelligence.

The existent DNI is Avril Haines, who was appointed by President Joe Biden and began nan occupation successful January 2021. Haines was nan first female to service arsenic nan DNI. If sworn in, Gabbard will beryllium nan eighth DNI.

Where does she guidelines connected cardinal intelligence issues?

Gabbard does not person nonstop acquisition successful an intelligence position and, dissimilar different DNIs, has not held immoderate elder authorities roles. Gabbard served for 2 years successful nan House Committee connected Homeland Security.

Time and clip again, she has been captious of and has diverged from nan US Intelligence Community’s decisions. She has mostly taken an anti-interventionist stance. In different words, she has advocated for nan US to enactment uninvolved erstwhile it comes to conflicts astir nan world.

Russia and Ukraine

Gabbard has been accused of amplifying Russian propaganda.

Three days aft Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine connected February 24, 2022, Gabbard posted a video connected her X relationship urging nan US, Russia and Ukraine to “put geopolitics aside” and judge that Ukraine “will beryllium a neutral country” without being a personnel of subject alliances specified arsenic NATO.

In March 2022, she posted different video connected X saying location are much than 25 US-funded biolabs successful Ukraine. She wrote it aft a claim originated successful Moscow that US-backed bioweapons labs were operating successful Ukraine. The declare was denied by nan US and Ukraine, and location is nary independent grounds to backmost nan assertion.

There are 25+ US-funded biolabs successful Ukraine which if breached would merchandise & dispersed deadly pathogens to US/world. We must return action now to forestall disaster. US/Russia/Ukraine/NATO/UN/EU must instrumentality a ceasefire now astir these labs until they’re secured & pathogens destroyed pic.twitter.com/dhDTH5smIG

— Tulsi Gabbard 🌺 (@TulsiGabbard) March 13, 2022

This station earned her disapproval from Republicans successful Congress, including erstwhile Representative Adam Kinzinger, who called Gabbard’s connection “traitorous” and said she was embracing “Russian propaganda”. Senator Mitt Romney said she was “parroting clone Russian propaganda”.

In different X post, she clarified that “biolabs” and “bioweapons labs” are abstracted things and said her original station was misunderstood.

Syria

Gabbard has opposed US involution successful nan Syrian war, which sprung up successful 2011 aft President Bashar al-Assad cracked down connected serene protests against his government, which past developed into a rebellion.

In 2015, she criticised erstwhile Democratic President Barack Obama’s management for supporting nan Syrian guidance activity against al-Assad.

In 2017 during a concealed travel to Syria, Gabbard met al-Assad, she told CNN.

“Let nan Syrian group themselves find their future, not nan United States, not immoderate overseas country,” she told CNN.

Iran

Gabbard was captious of nan decisions made by Trump’s management during his first word successful agency from 2017 to 2021.

In 2020, she said nan Trump management provided “no justification whatsoever” during an intelligence briefing connected nan sidesplitting of Qassem Soleimani, nan caput of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force. He was assassinated successful 2020 successful a US aerial ambush successful Iraq extracurricular Baghdad’s world airport.

The White House and nan Pentagon confirmed nan killing of Soleimani, saying nan onslaught was carried retired astatine Trump’s guidance and was aimed astatine deterring early attacks allegedly being planned by Iran.

When Gabbard was asked by CNN if she believed Iran posed an imminent information threat, she said nan cardinal mobility that needed to beryllium asked was: “Is our country’s nationalist information amended disconnected because of Donald Trump’s actions and decision? And nan reply to that is no.”

She accused Trump of starring nan US down a way towards warfare pinch Iran successful a CNN question and reply successful which she said that was “no justification whatsoever for this forbidden and unconstitutional enactment of warfare that President Trump took”, referring to nan Soleimani assassination.

India

Gabbard has had a adjacent narration pinch nan Indian authorities and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whom she has met aggregate times.

The Intercept news tract recovered successful 2019 that Gabbard’s House campaigns had received donations from much than 100 individuals associated pinch a Hindu majoritarian activity that Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party is simply a portion of.

In January 2019, Gabbard was a impermanent of honour astatine nan Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas, nan Indian government’s yearly diaspora outreach event, successful Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

Gabbard’s nomination comes little than a period aft nan US unsealed an indictment against erstwhile Indian intelligence serviceman Vikash Yadav, accusing him of a foiled crippled to execution Indian-American Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun successful nan US successful 2023.

The uncovering of this crippled progressive nan activity of US rule enforcement agencies, including nan Drug Enforcement Administration and nan FBI, some of which Gabbard will oversee arsenic nan DNI.

Israel and Gaza

Gabbard has besides criticised pro-Palestine protesters successful nan US successful caller months, describing them arsenic “puppets” of a “radical Islamist organisation” successful an evident reference to Hamas.

She has afloat backed Israel’s warfare successful Gaza, successful which much than 43,000 Palestinians person been killed, astir of them women and children.

Gabbard besides does not look to support a ceasefire successful Gaza contempt her anti-interventionist stances connected different conflicts. In an question and reply uploaded to YouTube successful February, she called Hamas a “threat that needs to beryllium defeated militarily and ideologically”.

When asked what she thought astir nan US supporting a UN solution that seeks a ceasefire successful Gaza, Gabbard said it needs to beryllium approached strategically.

“We person to beryllium realists astir nan threat that continues to beryllium for nan group of Israel. So arsenic agelong arsenic Hamas is successful power, nan group of Israel will not beryllium unafraid and cannot unrecorded successful peace.”

What disapproval has her assignment drawn?

Her assignment has been viewed pinch scepticism by immoderate members of Congress.

Democratic Representative and erstwhile CIA serviceman Abigail Spanberger posted connected X that she is “appalled astatine nan nomination”.

“Not only is [Gabbard] ill-prepared and unqualified, but she traffics successful conspiracy theories and cozies up to dictators for illustration Bashar-al Assad and Vladimir Putin,” Spanberger wrote.

As a erstwhile CIA lawsuit officer, I saw nan men and women of nan U.S. intelligence organization put their lives connected nan statement each time for this state — and I americium appalled astatine nan information of Tulsi Gabbard to lead DNI. (1/3)

— Rep. Abigail Spanberger (@RepSpanberger) November 13, 2024

What does Gabbard’s assignment mean for nan US?

Mark Cancian, a marine colonel and elder advisor astatine nan Washington, DC-based deliberation vessel Center for Strategic and International Studies told Al Jazeera that Gabbard’s assignment was intelligibly a reward for her support during Trump’s campaign.

Cancian said he expects Gabbard successful her confirmation hearings successful nan US Senate “will beryllium criticised for deficiency of qualifications”.

“But those are adequate, though not strong. She was connected nan House Armed Services Committee and served successful nan military.” He besides pointed retired that Trump’s nominee for head of nan CIA, her main subordinate, is John Ratcliffe, who has extended acquisition successful nan intelligence community.

Cancian added that Gabbard’s information itself does not awesome a alteration successful US policy.

“The changes successful intelligence will apt beryllium driven by nan larger argumentation choices of nan management connected Ukraine, Israel, Iran and China.”