A petition signed by almost 100 senior national security officials criticized President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to appoint former Representative Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence and demanded Senate hearings to be held behind closed doors to examine any federal data pertaining to her.
The officials asked the Senate to “carefully evaluate” whether Gabbard is “equipped” for the role, which needs Senate confirmation, in the letter that NBC News was able to receive.
“Several of Ms. Gabbard s past actions call into question her ability to deliver unbiased intelligence briefings to the President, Congress, and to the entire national security apparatus,” the letter stated. “Following her trip to Syria, for example, Ms. Gabbard aligned herself with Russian and Syrian officials.”
The former officials also suggested holding closed-door hearings so lawmakers may thoroughly examine any government documents pertaining to Gabbard, a former Democratic member of the Hawaii House.
“When evaluating Ms. Gabbard’s qualifications to lead our nation’s intelligence agencies, Senate committees should examine in closed sessions all information available to the U.S. government, and more importantly, the protection of our intelligence sources and methods,” they wrote.
Former Biden administration deputy secretary of state Wendy Sherman, former Obama and Trump administration ambassador to Georgia Ian Kelly, and former Biden administration National Security Council member Eric Green are among the signatories of the letter.
Gabbard has already come under fire for her empathetic remarks for American enemies.
Gabbard called for Ukraine to be a “neutral country” and urged people to “embrace the spirit of aloha” just days after Russia invaded the country.
Gabbard unexpectedly traveled to Syria in 2017 to meet with the dictatorial leader of the country, President Bashar al-Assad. Bipartisan criticism was directed at the trip. She questioned the U.S. intelligence community’s assessment that Assad’s regime was behind a chemical weapons assault on Syrians that same year.
Additionally, the letter contended that since the director job was established in 2004, Gabbard would “be the least experienced” anyone to occupy it.
“The Senate must carefully evaluate whether Ms. Gabbard is equipped to effectively oversee an organizational structure as unique and large as the National Intelligence Program and also the effect of her holding this position on the willingness of our closest allies to share intelligence with the U.S.,” the letter stated.
Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., were the recipients of the letter.
A request for comment was not immediately answered by Thune’s office. Regarding the confirmation process, Schumer wrote to Thune this week that Democrats are “ready and willing to work with Senate Republicans to provide advice and consent” on Trump’s choices. His office cited that message.
A Gabbard representative in the Trump transition team who was contacted for comment criticized the letter and the qualifications of the signers.
Spokesman Alexa Henning said, “These unfounded attacks are from the same geniuses who have blood on their hands from decades of faulty ‘intelligence,’ including the non-existent weapons of mass destruction,” alluding to a supposedly incorrect rationale for the commencement of the Iraq War.
“These intel officials continue to use classification as a partisan weapon to smear and imply things about their political enemy without putting the facts out,” Henning said.
One of Trump’s anticipated nominees who is encountering difficulties is Gabbard.
Pete Hegseth, Trump’s choice to head the Defense Department, is embroiled in controversy over claims of sexual assault and binge drinking. According to Hegseth, he was not charged and the interaction was consensual.Trump’s choice to head the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has come under fire for his doubts about vaccines. Senate confirmation is also required for certain jobs.
In response to accusations of sexual misbehavior, former Representative Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., withdrew his name from consideration for the position of attorney general.
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