Days after Russia launched an unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with missiles and artillery rounds raining down on Kyiv and different cities, former Democratic lawmaker Tulsi Gabbard posted a perplexing video message.
“It’s time to place geopolitics apart and embrace the spirit of aloha, respect and love, for the Ukrainian individuals by coming to an settlement that Ukraine can be a impartial nation—i.e. no navy alliance with NATO or Russia,” the previous Hawaii congresswoman wrote on social media. Such an association would “enable the Ukrainian individuals to dwell in peace. Aloha.”
Unlike her former colleagues in Congress and the leaders of Western democratic international locations, Gabbard supplied no condemnation of Russia and no reference to the unprovoked nature of the assault.
For Gabbard’s critics, the video message displays an alarming sample of siding with Russia and different authoritarian regimes, elevating questions on whether or not she ought to function America’s top-ranking intelligence official. Her choice has alarmed lawmakers on each side of the aisle, although most Republicans have kept away from public criticism.
If confirmed by the Senate as President-elect Donald Trump’s director of nationwide intelligence (DNI), Gabbard would oversee 18 spy businesses and have the ultimate say over what intelligence is delivered to the commander in chief.
The job of the DNI is to supply the president with the unvarnished fact as greatest because the intelligence group can verify it. But present and former intelligence officers concern that Gabbard will refuse to relay intelligence reporting that doesn’t slot in along with her — or the president’s — worldview.
“Would that predisposition translate into strain on evaluation to suit the administration’s coverage objectives?” one senior former intelligence official mentioned. “We’ll see.”
Previous administrations have clashed with the CIA and intelligence businesses over assessments that didn’t help their coverage agendas or their views a couple of specific risk or an adversary’s intentions. George W. Bush’s administration was accused of cherry-picking intelligence that backed up its assertions about Iraqi chief Saddam Hussein’s weapons packages.
However, Gabbard would pose a probably unprecedented dilemma for U.S. intelligence businesses — a high official who might not share an underlying premise about which international locations are America’s main enemies.
The DNI’s job “is to outline the world as it’s, versus advocating for a world as you need it to be,” the previous intelligence official mentioned.
Former U.S. intelligence officers and lawmakers additionally fear that Gabbard and the brand new Trump administration may resolve to reduce intelligence sharing with Ukraine, presumably in an try and pressure Kyiv to conform to a peace deal.
Such a transfer could be devastating for Ukraine’s warfare effort, which is closely depending on American intelligence. Trump and people he has picked to serve in his administration have expressed skepticism about persevering with to supply large-scale navy help to Ukraine, however have stopped wanting saying they plan to withhold intelligence from Kyiv.
Gabbard has rejected accusations she is a mouthpiece for Russia or the Syrian regime and has portrayed herself as a goal of interventionist hawks making an attempt to silence her. Her workplace didn’t reply to a request for remark.
During her marketing campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, Gabbard instructed an viewers in New Hampshire that she could be ready to satisfy Russian President Vladimir Putin or Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to assist keep away from battle. But she mentioned America’s political tradition has change into hostile to the thought of diplomacy.
“I believe it’s harmful that we’re in a spot now the place our media tradition and political tradition are overtly and roundly criticizing diplomacy,” Gabbard mentioned. “This is without doubt one of the explanation why we discover ourselves in a perpetual state of ongoing regime change wars.”
But lawmakers and former intelligence officers say a few of her feedback, and a secret go to in 2017 to satisfy Syria’s Assad, have forged doubt on her judgment and raised questions on whether or not she is inclined to make excuses for overseas adversaries.
Gabbard’s previous feedback associated to Russia and Syria counsel “any individual who’s predisposed to conspiracy, any individual who’s predisposed to disparaging fact-based info,” one other former senior intelligence official mentioned.
Gabbard has posted on social media about U.S. “bio labs” in Ukraine, which she described as harmful. But her critics say her publish carefully echoed Russian disinformation falsely claiming the existence of American organic weapons labs in Ukraine. In truth, Washington has supported civilian Ukrainian organic analysis laboratories to advertise public well being, not weapons labs.
Gabbard later sought to “make clear” her statements, saying she was solely referring to bio analysis and never weapons labs.
Trump’s choice of Gabbard for DNI in addition to his choose for legal professional basic, Matt Gaetz, who has vowed to go after perceived enemies of the brand new administration, has brought about dismay and alarm amongst some workers within the intelligence group, present and former officers mentioned. But most intelligence officers will wait and see how the brand new management performs and attempt to make them profitable, they mentioned.
“They are going to toe the road,” the previous intelligence officer mentioned. “Their objectives are going to be to verify these new leaders are nicely knowledgeable, nicely briefed, and that they perceive the complexities.”
He added: “I believe all they’ll ask is that their evaluation be introduced to the president.”
As director of nationwide intelligence, Gabbard would oversee the funds for America’s array of highly effective intelligence businesses, resolve what materials ought to be declassified and handle the president’s day by day intelligence briefing. The director often attends the presidential briefing in particular person.
However, Gabbard wouldn’t have authority over covert operations and America’s spying community. Those actions relaxation with the CIA.
The Hawaii native has been accused of aligning herself with autocrats, together with Putin, Assad and Egypt’s Abdel Fattah el-Sissi. She met Sissi on a go to to Cairo in 2015 and praised him for displaying “nice braveness and management” within the combat towards “excessive Islamist ideology.” Two years earlier, Sissi presided over deadly assaults on protesters that left a whole lot lifeless.
Gabbard additionally has pleasant relations with nationalist Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his supporters within the United States. Modi has confronted criticism from human rights organizations and Western international locations for his authorities’s therapy of India’s Muslim minority. The former congresswoman obtained 1000’s of {dollars} in marketing campaign donations from outstanding pro-Modi expatriates within the U.S. tied to far-right Hindu nationalist organizations.
Rep. Jason Crow, (D-Colo.), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, mentioned he had “deep questions on the place her loyalties lie” and “her long-standing affinity” for autocrats and U.S. adversaries.
“We get loads of intelligence from our allies, and there I’d be nervous a couple of chilling impact,” Crow instructed NBC News.
He mentioned he was particularly involved that the opposite members of the so-called “Five Eyes” intelligence alliance — the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and New Zealand — is likely to be unwilling to share delicate info “as a result of they’re involved about sources and strategies being protected, or what is going to occur with that intelligence.”