iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
During her confirmation hearing for Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Tulsi Gabbard firmly rejected accusations from critics who labeled her sympathetic to dictators like Assad and Gaddafi, stating, she has no love for Assad or Gaddafi or any dictator.
Instead, she emphasized, “I just hate Al Qaeda.”
Gabbard, who faced tough questioning from both Republican and Democratic Senators, defended her past positions on issues such as Syria, Libya, and Egypt.
She denied that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had used chemical weapons on his people and expressed regret over the U.S. involvement in the overthrow of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
She also addressed her previous support for Edward Snowden, the NSA contractor who leaked classified documents, and her stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In her opening remarks, Gabbard lashed out at those who criticized her, saying, “Those who oppose my nomination imply that I am loyal to something or someone other than God, my own conscience, and the Constitution of the U.S., accusing me of being Trump’s puppet, Putin’s puppet, Assad’s puppet.”
“I have no love for Assad or Gaddafi or any dictator,” she added.
“I just hate al Qaeda. I hate that we have leaders who cozy up to Islamist extremists, minimizing them to so-called rebels.”
A military veteran and current Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Reserve, Gabbard served in the House of Representatives as a Democrat and ran for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. After supporting President Trump in his second bid for the White House, she accepted his nomination for DNI.
If confirmed, she would oversee the U.S. intelligence community, which includes agencies like the CIA, NSA, and FBI.
Gabbard highlighted past intelligence failures, including the Iraq war and the politicization of the intelligence community, especially in the investigation of Trump’s first campaign. She said, “President Trump’s re-election is a clear mandate from the American people to break this cycle of failure, end the weaponization and politicization of the intelligence community and begin to restore trust in those who’ve been charged with the critical task of securing our nation.”
She concluded by expressing her commitment to ensuring the safety and security of Americans as the President’s principal intelligence adviser if confirmed as DNI.
Addressing religious bigotry, Gabbard also responded to attacks on her Hindu faith, stating, “Unfortunately, they’re once again using the religious bigotry card, but this time trying to foment religious bigotry against Hindus and Hinduism.” She invited those interested to learn more about her spiritual journey by visiting her account on X.
(Photo: Gage Skidmore/WikiMedia)
