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Trump's Nominee: Supports Assad and Rejects Regime Change
President-elect Donald Trump has appointed Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman and presidential candidate, known for her strong criticism of President Joe Biden's foreign policy, as Director of National Intelligence.
In a statement, Trump noted that Gabbard, as a former Democratic candidate in the presidential election, has broad support from both parties and is now a proud Republican. He added, "I know that Tulsi will bring the courageous spirit that has distinguished her remarkable career to our intelligence community, vigorously defend our constitutional rights, and ensure peace through strength," emphasizing that she has fought for over two decades for the freedom of our country and all Americans.
Gabbard, who has served in the National Guard for more than two decades and worked in Iraq and Kuwait, will take on this role as a somewhat "outsider" compared to her predecessor, possessing little experience in intelligence work. Her selection for this position, which oversees 18 spy agencies and is responsible for preparing the President's daily intelligence brief, was not widely anticipated.
Gabbard is expected to assume her role as a senior official in the U.S. intelligence community without significant difficulty in securing her confirmation in the Senate, where Republicans are anticipated to hold at least a 52 to 48 majority starting early next year.
She served in the U.S. Army and was deployed to Iraq between 2004 and 2005, holding the rank of major in the National Guard and currently serving as a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve.
In 2020, Gabbard failed to secure the Democratic Party’s nomination for the presidential election, which was won by Joe Biden, whom she later endorsed. However, she left the Democratic Party in 2022.
After leaving the Democratic Party, Gabbard became a strong critic of President Biden and his administration, gaining popularity among conservatives. She began appearing on far-right television and radio programs, becoming well-known for her support of "isolationist policies" (less focus on foreign affairs) and her disdain for "cultural awakenings" (social justice and social equity). Defending her meetings with Assad during press engagements, Gabbard asserted that "the meeting with Assad was not planned, but when the opportunity arose, I took it," justifying the meeting by stating, "We must be able to meet with anyone we need to if there is a chance for peace, and that’s exactly what we talked about during the meeting."
However, the "Honolulu Civil Beat" revealed after reviewing travel logs that Gabbard met with Assad twice while in Syria, first for an hour and a half just 45 minutes after arriving in Damascus, and then again for 30 minutes two days later.
The newspaper reported that after her first meeting with Assad, she met with his wife, Asma, for an hour, and also met with then Foreign Minister Walid Muallem prior to her second meeting with Assad.
During her visit, she also met with Bashar Jaafari, who was then the Syrian regime's ambassador to the United Nations.
In her interview on "CNN," Gabbard considered her meeting with Bashar Assad analogous to Trump’s meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
According to the "Washington Times," Gabbard's trip to Syria and her meetings with Assad and figures from his regime were a "nightmare" for her in 2019 as she sought the Democratic nomination for the presidency in 2020, and this issue was brought up again following Trump's announcement of her selection as Director of National Intelligence.
Regarding the international consensus, including from the United States, that Bashar Assad is a "war criminal," Gabbard stated, "It is important to look at who poses a threat to the United States and how to compare the interests of other countries with those of the United States."
In February 2019, commenting on the U.S. presence in Syria for "MSNBC," Gabbard stated, "American troops were deployed without understanding the mission they were being tasked with or a clear objective."
Commenting on Trump’s missile strike during his first term on the Shayrat airbase in Syria in response to the Syrian regime's use of chemical weapons in April 2017, Gabbard characterized the strike as "dangerous, reckless, and unconstitutional," arguing that Trump "acted impulsively."
In June 2019, Gabbard accused the CIA of "secretly working since 2011 to change the regime in Syria," adding that "taxpayer money was being used to provide direct and indirect support to terrorist groups in Syria, such as Al-Qaeda, to overthrow the Assad regime."
