Photo: Reuters
The US Senate Intelligence Committee has voted to nominate Tulsi Gabbard for the post of Director of National Intelligence. As reported by CNN and NBC News, on Tuesday, 4 February, her nomination was supported by nine of the 17 senators on the committee. Gabbard must now receive the final approval of the full Senate, although the date of the vote has not yet been determined.
In her new position, Gabbard will oversee 18 US intelligence agencies, including the CIA and the National Security Agency, and manage a total budget of about $100 billion. She will also serve as President Donald Trump’s chief intelligence adviser.
During a Senate hearing on 30 January, Gabbard categorically rejected accusations that she was influenced by external forces, including Russia, Syria and India. “My opponents are not bothered by the absurdity of being called a puppet of Trump, Putin, Assad, Guru and Modi at the same time,” she said.
However, her previous statements and positions remain the most controversial. She met with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, criticised the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, and called US policy towards Ukraine a “second Afghanistan”. In 2022, Gabbard spread the theory of “25 US-funded biolabs in Ukraine”, which was actively used by Russian propaganda.
At the same time, during the hearing, she stressed that Russia is a strategic competitor of the United States and acknowledged that the Kremlin is responsible for the war in Ukraine.
