Donald Trump has nominated former Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard to be his Director of National Intelligence.
The former Army Lieutenant Colonel who served Hawaii in Congress was tipped for a senior national security role after becoming a Trump ally.
The 43-year-old formally announced that she joined the Republican Party at a campaign rally alongside Trump in the summer.
She will be nominated to succeed current DNI Avril Haines in the Senate-confirmed position.
Gabbard was a lifelong Democrat, and served in the party as a U.S. Representative from Hawaii from 2013 until 2021. She rose to national prominence during her unsuccessful Democratic primary bid in 2020.
After leaving the Democratic Party in 2022 and announcing her movement to the Republican Party two years later, Gabbard became a supporter and surrogate for Trump.
She became co-chair of Trump’s transition team after his historic presidential election victory on November 5.
Gabbard has been vocal about her criticism of the ‘weaponization’ of the intelligence community – especially under President Joe Biden’s administration against Trump and his circle.
She claims that Democrats believe the intelligence arms of the U.S. are able to act without oversight and ‘screw’ Americans with whom they disagree.
‘I’ll never forget when Chuck Schumer on television warned, ‘Trump is an idiot to mess with the intelligence community ’cause they can screw you six ways from Sunday,” Gabbard said during remarks at the Young Americans for Liberty’s (YAL) Revolution 2022 event in August 2022.
She continued: ‘Highest-ranking Democrat in the U.S. Senate warning the American people, essentially, against messing with the intelligence community because of how badly they can screw you. As though they are some autonomous body of government that is accountable to no one.’
‘How can this be America?’ she questioned. ‘This goes against these ideals of a government of, by and for the people.’
Trump’s announcement of Gabbard on Wednesday helps begin to round out his new national security and defense-related team.
He plans to nominate Fox News anchor Pete Hegseth as his Secretary of Defense and Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) as his national security adviser.
Trump is nominating North Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to lead his Department of Homeland Security.
And earlier this week, the former and future president announced his previous DNI John Ratcliffe would lead the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Gabbard was once considered a contender for Trump’s vice presidential pick.
Gabbard was at the center of controversy in 2022 over pushing claims that Ukraine was working on a biological weapon.
Critics claimed the former congresswoman was echoing Russian propaganda by saying she was ‘deeply concerned’ about bio labs in Ukraine that Moscow would target and spread ‘deadly pathogens.’
The Kremlin used claims oif ‘U.S.-funded bio labs’ as one of its many justifications for initially invading Ukraine in February 2022.
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) made some of the harshest remarks against Gabbard, accusing her of ‘parroting false Russian propaganda’ and claiming her ‘treasonous lies may well cost lives.’
Gabbard, the fourth of five siblings, was born in America Samoa but her family moved to Hawaii when she was two-years-old.
She is an avid surfer and while running for president in the 2020 Democratic primary surfed off the coast of early primary New England state of New Hampshire.
She donned a ‘winter wetsuit’ and plunged into waters chillier than 40 degrees.
‘There is absolutely no better way to start the day and to start the year,’ the longtime surfer said after catching some waves on the Granite State’s Hampton Beach. ‘Highly recommend it. If we could go surfing every day and bring everybody out, that’d be awesome.’
