Nearly 100 former national security officials signed a letter criticizing President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence. The letter raised concerns about her past actions, including aligning herself with Russian and Syrian officials, following a trip to Syria and expressing sympathy towards U.S. adversaries. The officials called for closed-door Senate hearings to review any government information about Gabbard and evaluate her qualifications for the position.
The signers of the letter include prominent former officials such as Wendy Sherman and Ian Kelly, who served in previous administrations. They argued that Gabbard would be the least experienced person to hold the director position since its creation in 2004 and urged the Senate to carefully consider her ability to oversee the National Intelligence Program and maintain relationships with allies.
In response to the letter, a spokesperson for Gabbard on the Trump transition team criticized the signers’ credentials and accused them of using classification as a partisan weapon to smear political enemies. Gabbard is not the only expected nominee facing headwinds, as Trump’s picks for the Defense and Health and Human Services Departments have also faced controversies requiring Senate confirmation.
Overall, the letter from former national security officials underscores the concerns surrounding Gabbard’s nomination and calls for a thorough evaluation of her qualifications and past actions before confirming her as director of national intelligence.
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