Executive Summary
In February 2025, 43-year-old Tulsi Gabbard was confirmed as US Director of National Intelligence (DNI) in a 52-48 Senate vote, with only one Republican opposing her nomination—senior party personality Mitch McConnell. Unlike her predecessor, Avril Haines, who has decades of intelligence experience, Gabbard’s background as a former congresswoman and National Guard veteran—absent any intelligence experience—raises concerns about her ability to oversee the US Intelligence Community’s 18 spy agencies. Gabbard is also widely viewed as a loyalist to President Trump and someone who is largely driven by personal ambition.
Her controversial actions and comments have fuelled bipartisan unease about her objectivity and judgement. These include meetings with Bashar al-Assad, scepticism of U.S. intelligence on Russia, and support for pardoning Edward Snowden. Former intelligence officials worry her leadership could politicise assessments and strain the Five Eyes alliance. Additionally, past ties to the secretive Science of Identity Foundation, efforts to suppress media scrutiny of an alleged pyramid scheme, and ties to India’s Hindu Nationalist Party and President Modi raise transparency and other concerns.
Her confirmation reflects Republican tolerance for areas of concern that she brings to the job. Her appointment marks a major shift in US Intelligence Community leadership that has uncertain global implications.
Images Sourced From: DNI
Profile
Tulsi Gabbard was born on 12 April 1981 in Leloaloa, American Samoa. She earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Hawaii Pacific University in 2009. Gabbard was elected to the Hawaii state legislature in 2002, serving until 2004. She enlisted in the Hawaii Army National Guard in 2003, was deployed to Iraq in 2004, and later became the first woman to graduate as a distinguished honour graduate from Officer Candidate School in 2007. She was a legislative aide to Senator Akaka, deployed to Kuwait, and elected to the Honolulu City Council in 2010.
In 2012, she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and served as vice chair of the Democratic National Committee from 2013 to 2016. She often expressed pride in being the first to practice Hinduism in Congress. Gabbard left the Democrats in 2022 after a failed presidential run, became independent, and then joined the Republican Party in 2024.
Controversies and Foreign Ties
Before Gabbard was born, her father, a social conservative, moved the family to Hawaii. There, they became associated with the Science of Identity Foundation, a secretive religious group often described as a “cult” and a Hare Krishna offshoot. The group is known for its strict obedience and obsession with purity. Though Gabbard denies involvement, former members assert that the group’s ideology deeply influenced her during her upbringing. As Gabbard’s political career gained momentum, her campaign hired a public-affairs firm in 2017. It aimed to suppress coverage of an alleged pyramid scheme linked to her involvement in the Science of Identity Foundation, according to interviews, emails, and Federal Election Commission records.
Aside from potential exposure to intelligence reports during her military service—where she primarily served in medical units—Gabbard has little experience in the intelligence field, limiting her expertise to an appreciation at best. Despite her inexperience, the new DNI has criticised the U.S. intelligence community, claiming it has been weaponised and politicised. This stance has raised concerns among intelligence officials and allies, between departments, and with Five Eyes partners.
Her scepticism of U.S. intelligence aligns with a history of promoting narratives that echo Russian propaganda, fuelling accusations that she has undermined American foreign policy interests. Adding to these concerns are her controversial engagements with authoritarian figures, including Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and recent warming to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi—relationships that have led critics to question her geopolitical allegiances and priorities.
Gabbard’s ties to Indian President Modi seemingly extend beyond diplomatic engagement, with reports indicating that U.S. affiliates of the Hindutva movement played a significant role in launching her political career. She has received substantial financial support from donors who also contributed to Modi’s election campaigns. Notably, one of Gabbard’s wedding guests included Ram Madhav, a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, who flew from India with a special message and gift from Modi.
