Nearly 100 former national security officials signed a letter criticizing President-elect Donald Trump’s decision to nominate former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence and calling for closed-door Senate hearings to review all government information on to judge her.
In the letter obtained by NBC News, the officials urged the Senate to “carefully evaluate” whether Gabbard is “equipped” for the position, which requires Senate confirmation.
“Several of Ms. Gabbard’s past actions raise questions about her ability to provide unbiased intelligence briefings to the President, Congress, and the entire national security apparatus,” the letter said. “For example, after her trip to Syria, Ms. Gabbard joined Russian and Syrian officials.”
The former officials also proposed closed-door hearings so lawmakers could fully review all government files on Gabbard, a former Democratic House member from Hawaii.
“Senate committees should consider in closed sessions all information available to the U.S. government in assessing Ms. Gabbard’s qualifications to lead our nation’s intelligence community, and more importantly, the protection of our intelligence sources and methods,” they wrote.
Signatories to the letter include Wendy Sherman, former deputy secretary of state in the Biden administration; Ian Kelly, ambassador to Georgia during the Obama and Trump administrations; and Eric Green, member of the National Security Council during the Biden administration.
Gabbard has previously been criticized for sympathetic comments about American opponents.
Days after Russia invaded Ukraine, Gabbard called on Ukraine to become a “neutral country,” urging people to “embrace the spirit of aloha.”
In 2017, Gabbard made an unannounced trip to Syria to meet with President Bashar al-Assad, the country’s authoritarian leader. The trip led to criticism from both sides. That same year, she questioned US intelligence’s conclusion that Assad’s government was responsible for a chemical weapons attack on Syrians.
The letter also argued that Gabbard would be “the least experienced” person to hold the director position since its inception in 2004.
“The Senate should carefully evaluate whether Ms. Gabbard is equipped to effectively oversee an organizational structure as unique and large as the National Intelligence Program as well as the effect of her position on the willingness of our closest allies to share intelligence with the USA ” the letter said.
The letter was addressed to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and new Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.
Thune’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Schumer’s office referred to a letter he sent to Thune this week about the confirmation process, saying Democrats “stand ready and willing to work with Senate Republicans to provide advice and consent” on the nominations from Trump.
Reached for comment, a spokesperson for Gabbard from the Trump transition team denounced the letter, as well as the signatories’ credentials.
“These baseless attacks come from the same geniuses who have blood on their hands from decades of flawed ‘intelligence,’ including non-existent weapons of mass destruction,” spokesperson Alexa Henning said, referring to an alleged justification for starting the Iraq war . War that turned out to be wrong.
“These intelligence officials continue to use classification as a partisan weapon to smear and imply things about their political enemy without making the facts public,” Henning continued.
Gabbard is just one of Trump’s expected nominees facing headwinds.
Trump’s pick to lead the Defense Department, Pete Hegseth, is facing controversy over allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking. Hegseth has said the meeting was consensual and he has not been charged. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom Trump picked to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, has been criticized for his vaccine skepticism. These positions also require Senate confirmation.
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who withdrew his name to become attorney general, faced allegations of sexual misconduct, which he denied.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
