(AP) Fort Lauderdale, Florida Republican senators retaliated on Sunday against Democratic accusations that Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump’s choice to head the U.S. intelligence services, is compromised by her pro-Russian remarks and her covert meetings as a congresswoman with the president of Syria, a close ally of Iran and the Kremlin.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, who served in combat operations in Iraq, expressed her worries about Trump’s selection of Tulsi Gabbard as national intelligence director.
In reference to Gabbard’s 2017 visit to Syria, where she spoke with Syrian President Bashar Assad, Duckworth stated on CNN’s State of the Union, “I believe she’s compromised.” At the time, Gabbard represented Hawaii in the Democratic House.
She has been found to have problematic ties to America’s enemies by the U.S. intelligence community. “I’m concerned that she might not be able to pass a background check,” Duckworth stated.
After more than 20 years in the Army National Guard, Gabbard announced last month that she was switching to the Republican party. In support of Operation Iraqi Freedom III, she was sent to Iraq and Kuwait and, according to the Hawaii National Guard, was awarded a Combat Medical Badge in 2005 for her involvement in combat operations under enemy hostile fire.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally at Lee’s Family Forum, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Image: Evan Vucci/Associated Press
FILE – Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., speaks during a press event on Capitol Hill, Feb. 27, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
Image courtesy of Mark Schiefelbein/Associated Press
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Republicans immediately criticized Duckworth for his remarks.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, a Republican from Oklahoma, challenged Duckworth to take back her remarks on CNN, saying that it was incorrect for her to use such absurd and obviously harmful language. The most hazardous thing she could say is that a US Army lieutenant colonel is compromised and a Russian asset.
Other Democrats have falsely accused Gabbard of being a Russian asset in recent days. Without providing specifics, Massachusetts Democrat Senator Elizabeth Warren has asserted that Gabbard is in the pocket of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Mullin and others claim that the Democrats’ criticism stems from Gabbard’s decision to defect from their party and join Trump’s ally. Democrats say they are concerned that Gabbard’s appointment as head of national intelligence jeopardizes relations with allies and gives Russia the upper hand.
Although he would not characterize Gabbard as a Russian asset, Rep. Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California who was just elected to the Senate, stated that her judgment was highly dubious.
Schiff stated on NBC’s Meet the Press that the issue is that our foreign partners will cease providing us with information if they don’t trust the director of our intelligence organizations.
In 2022, Gabbard supported one of Russia’s arguments for invading Ukraine: the presence of numerous U.S.-funded biolabs researching some of the most dangerous diseases in the world. Moscow said Ukraine was exploiting the facilities to produce lethal bioweapons, despite the fact that they are part of an international effort to stop bioweapons and control outbreaks. She simply expressed concerns about safeguarding the labs, according to Gabbard.
Sen. Eric Schmitt, a Republican from Missouri, stated that he found it completely absurd that Gabbard was being portrayed as a Russian asset because of his political stance.
It is offensive. To be honest, it’s a slur. He stated on NBC that there is no proof that she is a foreign asset.
Another Republican senator from Oklahoma, Sen. James Lankford, admitted that he had many concerns for Gabbard as the Senate reviews her nomination to head the intelligence services. On NBC, Lankford stated that he would like to question Gabbard over her encounter with Assad and some of her earlier remarks regarding Russia.
We would like to know what the goal was and where that was headed. As members of Congress, we would like to have the opportunity to discuss her previous remarks and put them in their proper context, Lankford stated.
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