Defense One: 'Extraordinarily dangerous': Intelligence community insiders warn against Trump's DNI pick

[Dennis Donovan]

Defense One - ‘Extraordinarily dangerous’: Intelligence community insiders warn against Trump’s DNI pick

Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has a “history of irresponsibly promoting misinformation,” said one official.



By Patrick Tucker
Science & Technology Editor, Defense One
November 15, 2024
5:03 PM ET

Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence, lacks experience, and her record of Russia-aligned public statements could undermine the ability of the United States to acquire intelligence from allies and partners, current and former intelligence officials say.

Trump on Wednesday announced his intention to put Gabbard, who served in Congress as a Democrat from Hawaii, in charge of the national intelligence office. The office coordinates intelligence efforts across the entire government, forges intelligence-sharing relationships with other countries, and shapes the way the public and the White House understand threats to U.S. interests. The office takes a leading role in assembling the daily brief for the president, which the White House uses to understand how adversaries are working against the United States, and in telling the public about threats Americans face.

Gabbard, an Iraq war veteran and lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve, has military experience but not a deep background in intelligence. One former senior intelligence official told Defense One that such experience is vital to making sense of the wide variety of intelligence pieces that compose a picture of current or future threats.

“What people don't understand about intelligence is, if it's known, it's not intelligence. It's that assessment that you make. It has uncertainty, and the craft of understanding that uncertainty has nothing to do with opinion but rather has to do with trust, integrity and independence,” the former official said.

But intelligence community veterans are more concerned with her past actions and public statements—particularly those that aligned with Kremlin propaganda—than her resume.

/snip

[Walleye]

1. I think the five eyes are about to become four eyes. And we will be left out.

I remember when Republicans used to be pretty big on national security. Now it’s Russian security.

[Dennis Donovan]

2. They've already seen how he handles classified documents.

He fucking left them in his bathroom. What country would disseminate super-secret info to another country that treats classified docs so haphazardly?

[keithbvadu2]

3. I had to look it up.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Eyes#Domestic_espionage_sharing_controversy

[edhopper]

4. Her job is not to assess intelligence

it's to hand our intelligence over to Putin.

[ratchiweenie]

5. So does it really matter whether she does it or he does it? We're screwed either way.

[edhopper]

6. Yes

we are.