WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's pick to oversee the nation's 18 intelligence agencies, including the FBI and CIA, is facing renewed scrutiny over a secretive 2017 trip to Syria, where she met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a leader accused of war crimes.
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a Democrat from Hawaii and a former Army reserve lieutenant colonel, has come under fire for her meetings with Assad, which critics say reflect a pattern of questioning U.S. intelligence and embracing Washington's adversaries. Supporters argue that her positions represent an anti-war, non-interventionist perspective.
According to congressional filings and travel itineraries reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, Gabbard met with Assad twice during her trip to Syria, which was organized by peace advocates. The meetings were not disclosed in her initial itinerary, which was approved by the House Committee on Ethics before her trip.
Gabbard has said that she met with Assad because she felt it was important to meet with anyone who could help achieve peace in the region. "If we profess to truly care about the Syrian people, about their suffering, then we've got to be able to meet with anyone that we need to if there is a possibility that we could achieve peace," she said in an interview.
However, critics argue that Gabbard's meetings with Assad and her subsequent criticism of U.S. policy in Syria raise concerns about her ability to lead the nation's intelligence agencies. As director of National Intelligence, Gabbard would have authority over the $100 billion annual U.S. spy budget and would be responsible for briefing the president on sensitive U.S. secrets.
Gabbard's nomination is set to go before the Senate, where she will face tough questioning from lawmakers skeptical of her views on U.S. foreign policy. In a statement, Gabbard said that she is committed to putting the national security interests and safety of the American people first and foremost, and that she appreciates President Trump's leadership on issues of war and peace.
The controversy surrounding Gabbard's trip to Syria and her meetings with Assad has sparked a heated debate about her qualifications to lead the nation's intelligence agencies. As the Senate prepares to consider her nomination, Gabbard will face intense scrutiny over her views on U.S. foreign policy and her ability to lead the nation's intelligence community.
