Nearly 100 former national security officials signed a letter criticizing President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence. The officials called for closed-door Senate hearings to review any government information about Gabbard, citing concerns about her past actions, including aligning herself with Russian and Syrian officials after a trip to Syria. The letter urged the Senate to carefully evaluate Gabbard’s qualifications and ability to deliver unbiased intelligence briefings. The signers included former high-ranking officials from the Biden and Trump administrations.
Gabbard has faced criticism for her sympathetic comments about U.S. adversaries and her unannounced trip to Syria to meet with President Bashar al-Assad. The letter also highlighted concerns about Gabbard’s lack of experience for the director position, which was created in 2004.
In response, a spokesperson for Gabbard on the Trump transition team criticized the letter and the credentials of the signers, accusing them of using classification as a partisan weapon. Gabbard is not the only expected nominee facing headwinds, as Trump’s picks for Defense, Health and Human Services, and Attorney General have also come under scrutiny for allegations of sexual assault, vaccine skepticism, and sexual misconduct, respectively. These positions also require Senate confirmation.
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