‘It’s really concerning’: Former National Security Council member warns Americans about Tulsi Gabbard’s director of national intelligence role
Former National Security member Jamie Metzl warns about the dangers of Donald Trump appointing Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence.
Many of Trump’s cabinet picks have stirred controversy. Among his picks are alleged human trafficker Matt Gaetz as Attorney General, puppy killer Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security, and Fox News host Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense. Almost all of his picks have no qualifications for the roles they were selected for or are embroiled in various controversies. One pick that raised the most red flags was Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence. The Director of National Intelligence was created after 9/11 to detect national security threats. Avril Haines is the current Director of National Intelligence and the first woman to serve in the role. Before becoming Director of National Intelligence, she served as Deputy Director of the CIA and U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor and was designated a distinguished fellow at the Institute for Security Policy and Law at Syracuse University.
In contrast, while Gabbard boasts a political and military career, she has no experience in intelligence whatsoever. Not only that but she has been accused of being a Russian asset for her seemingly sympathetic stance towards Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. Recently, Metzl spelled out just how dangerous Gabbard’s appointment could be.
National Security expert warns about Tulsi Gabbard
Metzl served on the National Security Council during the Clinton administration. He recently outlined his concerns about Gabbard’s appointment as Director of National Intelligence to CNN. First, he pointed to her notable lack of experience, explaining, “Obviously, qualifications are important. Obviously, this is a critically important job for the United States for keeping us safe … Tulsi Gabbard has never worked in intelligence. She has no real background for this job.”
Not only is the Director of National Intelligence’s role vital to keeping the United States safe, but it was also specifically created to remedy the problem of the intelligence community not taking security threats seriously enough. Metzl stated the job was created “because we realized we were not safe because we didn’t have serious people doing a serious job of integrating all of the data information that was coming in through our intelligence agencies.” Gabbard’s lack of experience raises questions about how seriously she can manage intelligence data and identify threats.
Another thing to consider is her controversial stance on Russia. There’s no evidence that she is connected to Russia, but Gabbard has pushed Kremlin-backed conspiracy theories and engaged in rhetoric that has led to accusations of her being a Russian asset and spreading Russian propaganda. Metzl raises an excellent question of how willing America’s allies will be to share vital intelligence information with a department they perceive as sympathetic towards their adversaries. He questioned, “If you are part of a foreign government, even an allied government, are you really going to want to share your most important intelligence with the United States government, recognizing that there are people who are at central nodes in our government who are so sympathetic to our adversaries? It’s really concerning.”
The problem isn’t that Trump is putting loyalists in vital roles; it’s that he’s putting people with no experience in roles that are vital to maintaining America’s safety. If both Americans and foreign countries don’t know if they can trust Gabbard, and she’s at the head of all the most pressing intelligence matters in the country, it’s a recipe for disaster.
Have a tip we should know? tips@themarysue.com
