Tulsi Gabbard speaks at the 2020 Public Service Forum
(Ethan Miller/Getty)

‘She has so clearly been in Putin’s pocket’: A Democratic senator echoes fears about Trump’s director of national intelligence

Senator Elizabeth Warren has echoed fears about Donald Trump’s pick for Director of National Intelligence, alleging Tulsi Gabbard has “been in Putin’s pocket.”

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Trump caused a stir when he selected Gabbard as the Director of National Intelligence. In the role created to protect the country after 9/11, Gabbard will head the U.S. Intelligence Community and be responsible for coordinating intelligence and detecting national security threats. While she boasts an impressive military career, she has no background in intelligence, which has raised valid questions about her qualifications. Additionally, she has faced accusations of being a Russian asset from as far back as 2019. Gabbard is a staunch anti-interventionist who, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, expressed sympathy for Russia, blamed the United States and NATO for the invasion, and spread Kremlin-backed conspiracy theories about Ukraine.

Gabbard does not appear to be remotely qualified for the serious role of Director of National Intelligence. To make things worse, some believe that she herself could be a national security threat in the role. Of course, considering that much of MAGA is going pro-Putin, they’ll adamantly defend her. However, any rational individual, whether Republican or Democrat, should be able to see the dangers of putting someone at the head of America’s intelligence, who multiple politicians have accused of being a Russian asset.

Elizabeth Warren is the latest politician to voice fears of Tulsi Gabbard

Recently, Warren took aim at Trump’s cabinet picks while speaking to MSNBC. She addressed the recent news that Trump has selected Marco Rubio as his Secretary of State and acknowledged that, despite her personal differences and concerns about him, he does actually have qualifications and experience for the role. However, when it comes to the other cabinet picks, like Matt Gaetz and Gabbard, it’s an entirely different story. She questioned, “You really want her [Gabbard] to have all of the secrets of the United States and our defense intelligence agencies when she has so clearly been in Putin’s pocket?” Warren answered her question, stating, “That just has to be a hard no.”

To be clear, there is no proof that Gabbard is “in Putin’s pocket.” However, Warren isn’t the first to accuse Gabbard of ties to Putin. In fact, Gabbard was still a Democrat in 2019 when Hillary Clinton alleged she was being “groomed” by Russia to push its agenda. When Gabbard first pushed her Ukraine conspiracy theories after Russia’s invasion, even Republicans like Mitt Romney denounced her for “parroting false Russian propaganda,” warning that her actions could cost innocent lives. Since her appointment as Director of National Intelligence, national security experts and politicians alike have warned about her alleged ties to Russia.

Ultimately, if many Americans question whether they can trust Gabbard given her stance on Russian, it raises the major question of how our allies will trust her. America has a grave problem if the Senate confirms Gabbard and places her at the head of the intelligence community, even though it’s unclear if America and its allies even trust her enough to relay vital intelligence information or if the sensitive information they do relay will be protected.


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Rachel Ulatowski
Rachel Ulatowski is a Staff Writer for The Mary Sue, who frequently covers DC, Marvel, Star Wars, literature, and celebrity news. She has over three years of experience in the digital media and entertainment industry, and her works can also be found on Screen Rant, JustWatch, and Tell-Tale TV. She enjoys running, reading, snarking on YouTube personalities, and working on her future novel when she's not writing professionally. You can find more of her writing on Twitter at @RachelUlatowski.