Senator Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat from Illinois and a veteran of combat missions in Iraq, expressed her concerns about Tulsi Gabbard, who was chosen by Trump to be the director of national intelligence.
“I think she’s compromised,” Duckworth said in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” referring to Gabbard’s visit to Syria in 2017 where she met with Syrian President Bashar Assad. At that time, Gabbard was a Democratic House member from Hawaii.
“The U.S. intelligence community has raised concerns about her troubling relationships with America’s enemies. My worry is that she would not pass a background check,” Duckworth added.
Gabbard, who recently announced her switch to the Republican Party, has served in the Army National Guard for over twenty years, including deployments to Iraq and Kuwait. She was awarded a Combat Medical Badge in 2005 for her involvement in combat operations supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom III.
Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin from Oklahoma criticized Duckworth’s comments on CNN, challenging her to retract her statement. He called her words “dangerous” and stressed that accusing a United States lieutenant colonel in the Army of being compromised and an asset of Russia was reckless.
Recently, some Democrats have baselessly labeled Gabbard as a “Russian asset.” Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts claimed, without specifics, that Gabbard is under the influence of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Republican Senator Eric Schmitt from Missouri dismissed the accusations against Gabbard, stating that it was unfair to portray her as a Russian asset simply because of her differing political views.
Senator James Lankford, also a Republican from Oklahoma, expressed his reservations about Gabbard’s nomination to lead the intelligence services and indicated that he had many questions for her, particularly regarding her meeting with Assad and her past remarks about Russia.
