President-elect Donald Trump has named former Democratic Representative of Hawaii Tulsi Gabbard as his pick for director of national intelligence. Gabbard has been vocal in recent months about her support for the GOP leader and her decision to leave the Democratic party. But beyond partisan bickering her nomination is raising eyebrows and resurfacing questions about a controversial trip she took to Syria in 2017.
Gabbard, who was then the representative for Hawaii's 22nd District, traveled to Syria at the time to "see and hear directly from the Syrian people" impacted by the civil war in the country, she said in a blog post. However, the trip's controversy relies on a meeting she had with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
