Nearly 100 former senior U.S. diplomats and intelligence and national security officials have called for closed-door hearings to review the government's files on former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's nominee for national intelligence director. The officials, who served in both Democratic and Republican administrations, expressed concerns about Gabbard's ability to provide unbiased intelligence briefings due to her past actions.
A spokesperson for Gabbard on the Trump transition team dismissed the appeal as an unfounded and partisan attack. Current Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines emphasized the importance of maintaining strong intelligence-sharing relationships with allies, such as the Five Eyes alliance, which includes the U.S., Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Former high-ranking officials, including Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and former NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller, wrote a letter to Senate leaders urging closed briefings to assess Gabbard's qualifications to lead the country's intelligence agencies.
The letter highlighted Gabbard's 2017 meetings with Syrian President Bashar Assad, a U.S. adversary, and her alignment with Russian talking points on conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. Gabbard has advocated for limited military engagement abroad and defended her interactions with U.S. enemies as necessary.
In response to the letter, a spokesperson for Gabbard defended her selection for the position, accusing the signatories of using classified information as a partisan weapon. The Senate has been urged to consider all available information on Gabbard before confirming her appointment.
