Donald Trump, the President-elect of the United States, has nominated former Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), who will oversee U.S. intelligence agencies in the next administration.
On the 13th (local time), Trump announced the nomination of Gabbard as DNI Director in a statement, saying, "I know Tulsi will bring the indomitable spirit that has defined her distinguished career to our intelligence community, uphold constitutional rights, and secure peace through strength." He added, "Tulsi has fought for our country and the freedoms of all Americans for over 20 years," and praised her as "a person who ran in the Democratic presidential primaries and has broad support from both parties."
The DNI Director oversees not only the DNI but also a total of 18 intelligence agencies including the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). Gabbard, the first Samoan-American member of the U.S. Congress, was elected to the Hawaii State Legislature in 2000 at the age of 21 as the youngest female legislator. She enlisted in the Army National Guard in 2003 and currently serves as a reserve lieutenant colonel in Oklahoma.
Originally a Democrat, Gabbard left the party in 2022 due to policy disagreements. After operating as an independent, she joined the Republican Party in 2024. During the 2020 presidential election, she ran in the Democratic presidential primaries and, after withdrawing, supported President Joe Biden. She has shown pro-Russian tendencies, such as holding President Biden and NATO accountable immediately after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. She has also previously claimed that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is not an enemy of the United States.
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