Trump picks former Democratic congresswoman Gabbard as director of national intelligence

November 13, 2024

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Former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard attends a campaign rally of Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S., November 4, 2024. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

WASHINGTON, Nov 13 (Reuters) – U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Wednesday he has chosen TulsiGabbard, a 43-year-old former Democratic representative and critic of the Biden administration, as his director of national intelligence.

Gabbard, who left the Democratic party in 2022 to become an independent and was considered a possible candidate to become Trump’s running mate, would take over from Avril Haines as the top official in the U.S. intelligence community after the Republican president-elect starts his second term in January.

She is not expected to face difficulty being confirmed in the Senate, where Trump’s fellow Republicans will hold at least a 52-to-48-seat majority starting early next year.

“I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our intelligence community, championing our constitutional rights and securing peace through strength,” Trump said in a statement.

Gabbard, he said, has for more than two decades “fought for the freedom of our country and the freedom of all Americans.”

Gabbard has little direct experience with intelligence work and had not been widely expected to be tapped for the post.

She was deployed in Iraq from 2004 to 2005 as a major in the Hawaii National Guard and is now a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves.

Gabbard unsuccessfully sought the 2020 Democratic nomination for that year’s presidential election won by Joe Biden, who she then endorsed.

After leaving the Democratic Party, she became increasingly critical of Biden and his administration and grew popular among conservatives, often appearing on far-right TV and radio shows, where she became known for supporting isolationist policies and showing disdain for “wokeness.”

(Addon by News India Times: Apart from Vivek Ramaswamy who has been named by President-Elect Trump to co-lead a new ‘Department of Government Efficiency,’ two other Indian Americans whose names are being mentioned as possible appointees in a new administration’s Department of Health and Human Services, are former Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, and Seema Verma, former Trump Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Also in the running for a national security appointment is Kash Patel, a former Republican House staffer who served in various high-ranking staff roles in the defense and intelligence communities during Trump’s first term, Reuters reported)