A letter in support of former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (Hawaii), President-elect Trump’s nominee for the position of director of national intelligence, has now reportedly been endorsed by over 250 veterans.
The letter provides a ferocious defense of Gabbard and rebukes those who doubt her loyalty.
Gabbard is currently under increasing scrutiny due to her previous remarks regarding Moscow and her 2017 visit with Bashar Assad, the former Syrian dictator.
Gabbard, who was a Democrat in the House for eight years, has made statements regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict that were favorable to Moscow.
These statements have been echoed by Russian state news, which has praised her nomination.
In 2017, Gabbard visited Syria in the Middle East and stated that Assad was not an enemy of the United States. However, she subsequently referred to him as a “brutal dictator.”
The remarks have garnered renewed attention in recent days, following the Syrian government’s collapse and Assad’s expulsion from the country by insurgents.
The letter was written just days after a group of nearly 100 former national security officials issued their own letter regarding Gabbard, imploring the Senate to “carefully scrutinize” the former congresswoman.
They expressed apprehension regarding her experience level, her prior comments and interactions with Assad, and the fact that she has “publicly questioned U.S. intelligence reports.”
The veterans, in their letter on Monday, refute the accusations of so-called “experts” in Washington who have criticized Gabbard, claiming that their criticisms are based on baseless falsehoods and smears.
“Unable and unwilling to challenge the substance of her views, her critics resort to baseless lies and smears, exposing the weakness of their arguments. Tulsi’s patriotism, shaped on the battlefield, mirrors the values and aspirations of the American people far more than the failed policies of so-called ‘experts’ in Washington, who have been part of the problem for too long.” the letter concluded.
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