Who is Tulsi Gabbard, appointed by Donald Trump as Director of National Intelligence?

The erstwhile Democratic Congresswoman and 2020 statesmanlike candidate-turned MAGA Republican is among galore Trump loyalists to beryllium appointed to precocious posts successful the week oregon truthful pursuing his predetermination to the White House.

Hindu with nary India connection

Tulsi Gabbard, 43, is an US Army reservist, and a four-time Democratic Congresswoman from Hawai’i who became the archetypal Hindu to triumph a spot successful the US House of Representatives successful 2012.

Born successful 1981 to a Samoan-American begetter and a parent who hails from the American Midwest, Tulsi grew up successful Hawai’i. It was determination that her mother, Carol, took an progressive involvement successful Hinduism. According to a illustration of Tulsi by Hawaii News Now successful 2013, Carol gave each her children Hindu names — Bhakti, Jai, Aryan, Tulsi and Vrindavan.

That said, the Gabbard household took pridefulness successful being a “multi-racial, multicultural, multi-faith family”. “Janmashtami is Lord Krishna’s birthday. Christmas we observe Lord Jesus. So we observe both,” Tulsi’s begetter Mike, who has served successful the Hawai’i authorities legislature since 2006, told Hawaii News Now successful 2013.

In 2002, Tulsi, lone 21 astatine the time, became the youngest pistillate to ever beryllium elected to the Hawaii authorities legislature. But she near aft lone 1 word erstwhile her Hawaii National Guard portion was deployed successful Iraq successful 2004. She received her committee successful 2007, and continued to service successful the Hawaii National Guard till 2020, erstwhile she was assigned to the US Army Reserve. She holds the fertile of lieutenant colonel.

Meanwhile, aft returning location from her 2nd deployment to the Middle East successful 2009, she again entered Hawai’i politics, this clip successfully moving for a spot successful Honolulu City Council.

In 2012, Gabbard was elected to the US House of Representatives from Hawai’i’s 2nd legislature district. In doing so, she became the archetypal Samoan-American and Hindu to beryllium elected to Congress. Her swearing-in saw her instrumentality oath connected the Bhagavad Gita which she said had been “a tremendous root of interior bid and spot done galore pugnacious challenges successful life”, and a substance that inspired her to “strive to beryllium a servant-leader, dedicating my beingness successful the work of others” and “her country”.

Tulsi is joined to cinematographer Abraham Williams.

Anti-US interventionism

Once described by elder Democratic person Nancy Pelosi arsenic a “rising star” of the party, Tulsi has agelong held positions that tally contrary to the party’s line. In fact, her positions particularly connected overseas argumentation person irked politicians crossed the spectrum.

In 2015, she faced disapproval from Democrats for asking the Obama medication to halt supporting Syrian absorption movements against President Bashar al Asad’s regime. “I don’t deliberation Assad should beryllium removed,” she had said astatine the time, informing that Islamist extremist groups would instrumentality implicit if helium were toppled.

In 2020, Tulsi condemned Trump’s determination to bid a drone onslaught connected Qassem Soleimani, Iran’s apical general, referring to the enactment arsenic “unconstitutional” and a “dangerous escalation”.

Ultimately, it was the Democratic Party’s presumption connected the Russia-Ukraine warfare that was cardinal to her determination to permission the party. Unlike astir Democrats, she blames the warfare successful Ukraine connected NATO enlargement and actions of the Joe Biden-administration, alternatively of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression.

While resigning from the enactment successful 2022, she described it arsenic having been overrun by an “elitist cabal of warmongers” and “woke” ideologues. She was besides captious of the party’s efforts to “divide” the state by “racialising each issue” and stoking “anti-white racism”. She did not, however, articulation the Republican party, choosing to stay an autarkic instead.

She became 1 of Fox News’ biggest governmental commentators, wherever she expressed outspoken enactment for Trump and his policies good earlier she officially joined the Republican Party little than a period ago.

In her endorsement of Trump, she said that the erstwhile President sees “war arsenic a past resort”, echoing her ain positions.

The DNI’s role

The DNI serves arsenic the caput of the US quality assemblage overseeing and directing the implementation of the National Intelligence Program and acting arsenic the main advisor to the President, the National Security Council, and the Homeland Security Council for quality matters related to nationalist security.

In this post, Tulsi “would oversee 18 spy agencies and would beryllium liable for preparing the President’s Daily Brief, a written quality summary assembled each morning”, according to The New York Times.

The station was established based connected recommendations by the 9/11 Commission study 2004. Before this, the manager of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) served arsenic the topmost quality officer. Now the CIA main reports to the DNI. Trump has picked John Ratcliffe to beryllium the adjacent CIA chief. Ratcliffe had served arsenic the DNI successful Trump’s archetypal term.

Gabbard’s assignment arsenic the DNI would necessitate Senate approval, which is acceptable to beryllium a formality fixed that the Republicans person won backmost power of the US Senate. She volition instrumentality implicit from incumbent Avril Haines, who successful 2021 became the archetypal pistillate to beryllium appointed arsenic the DNI.

Tulsi’s word arsenic the DNI is apt to beryllium marred by friction with the US quality establishment, with whose assessments Tulsi has often disagreed.