Washington:
Donald Trump on Wednesday named former Democrat Tulsi Gabbard, who has opposed US assist for Ukraine and met Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad, as his incoming Director of Nationwide Intelligence.
The Republican president-elect mentioned Tulsi Gabbard, a veteran and one-time Democratic White Home contender, would “carry the fearless spirit that has outlined her illustrious profession to our intelligence group.”
Tulsi Gabbard thanked Trump “for the chance to function a member of your cupboard to defend the security, safety and freedom of the American individuals. I sit up for attending to work.”
The previous Hawaii congresswoman switched sides from the Democrats and backed Trump earlier this yr, serving to him throughout his debate preparations towards Kamala Harris, and had been anticipating a reward for lining up behind the previous president.
She has lengthy held isolationist overseas coverage views and embraced plenty of conspiracy theories.
Tulsi Gabbard made false claims in 2022 about there being US-sponsored biolabs in Ukraine — a key trope of Russian propaganda justifying Moscow’s invasion that yr.
She demanded US navy withdrawal from Iraq and Syria throughout her 2020 presidential run.
In 2019, Hillary Clinton mentioned that Russia was grooming a US Democratic candidate for a third-party run, in feedback that had been apparently directed at Tulsi Gabbard — and strongly rejected by her.
Tulsi Gabbard additionally had a controversial 2017 assembly with Syria’s Assad on the peak of the nation’s bloody civil conflict.
(Apart from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)