Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who was excluded from President-elect Donald Trump's second-term administration appointments, criticized former Representative Tulsi Gabbard, who was appointed as the next Director of National Intelligence (DNI), calling her a "supporter of Russia, Iran, Syria, and China." She also pointed out that Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a former presidential candidate nominated as Secretary of Health and Human Services, lacks background knowledge on related policies.
Haley, who ran as a Republican primary candidate, made these criticisms on the Sirius XM radio show on the 21st (local time) regarding the appointments for Trump's second-term administration. Both Gabbard and Kennedy Jr., who were appointed to the second-term administration, were originally Democrats but later switched to the Republican Party.
First, Haley said, "Gabbard defended Russia, defended Syria, defended Iran, and defended China," adding, "She has not retracted any of that." She emphasized that the DNI position is one that "must analyze real threats to U.S. security," and "is not a place for supporters of Russia, Iran, Syria, and China." The DNI oversees not only the DNI itself but also 18 intelligence agencies in the U.S., including the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).
Gabbard was originally a Democrat but left the party in 2022 due to policy disagreements. After acting as an independent, she joined the Republican Party in 2024. She has previously drawn criticism for her pro-Russian stance, such as blaming NATO for Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Additionally, during her time as a representative in January 2017, she visited Syria and met twice with the dictator Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, and claimed that Assad was not an enemy of the U.S.
Haley also criticized Kennedy Jr., calling him a "progressive Democrat" and pointing out his unsuitability for the position by saying, "He is an environmental lawyer and litigation attorney with no experience in the healthcare field." She added, "Some of you may think Kennedy Jr. is great, and some may like that he questions vaccines, but you don't know what decisions he will make behind the scenes," expressing concern.
Kennedy Jr., nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, initially ran as an independent candidate in this year's presidential election but later supported President-elect Trump. With Trump's appointment of him as Secretary of Health and Human Services, concerns have been raised domestically that a 'vaccine conspiracy theorist' without expertise will be responsible for U.S. public health policy. Kennedy Jr. has repeatedly made medically unfounded statements in public, such as claiming vaccines cause autism, artificial chemicals make children gay or transgender, and that part of his brain was eaten by parasites.
Haley's critical remarks align with concerns raised not only by the Democratic Party but also within the Republican Party. Former Republican Representative Adam Kinzinger recently expressed concerns about Gabbard's political views in a column. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren criticized, "Despite it being so clear that she was in Putin's pocket, do we want her to have all the secrets of the U.S. and defense-related intelligence agencies as DNI?"
Haley, who served in Trump's first administration, remained in the Republican presidential primary until the end, competing against former President Trump. Following Trump's victory, he publicly posted that Haley would not be included in the second-term cabinet. Last week, Haley also criticized President-elect Trump, who is forming a yes-man-centered cabinet based on loyalty, by sharing conversations with Howard Lutnick, co-chair of the transition team leading cabinet appointments.
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