Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) on Friday said that former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, President-elect Trump's nominee for Director of National Intelligence, is a “Russian asset.” Democratic Party)'s comments. '', but refrained from endorsing any candidates.
During an appearance on Bloomberg, Himes called the comments “an exaggeration” and said there was “no reason to believe” such claims.
“There is also no reason to believe that she has the experience or temperament necessary to hold a top position in our intelligence community,” he continued. “But look, when we start throwing around vague language like that, what we're doing is degrading the quality of the really important conversations that we need to have about national security. That will happen.”
Gabbard, a former Democrat, has been accused of promoting the Russia story and expressed beliefs contrary to the conclusions of U.S. intelligence agencies related to Russia and Ukraine. She has shared content suggesting that the US met seven years ago with Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian leader who is involved in producing biological weapons in Ukraine and is suspected of using chemical weapons against Syrian civilians. .
Himes, along with several other members of Congress, condemned Wasserman Schultz's comments on MSNBC last month. Sen. Eric Schmidt (R-Missouri) previously said calling Gabbard a “Russian asset” was a “slander.”
Several aides and senators said Gabbard's past comments on the Ukraine war were sympathetic to Moscow, and were echoed by Russian state media, making her path through the nomination process incredibly difficult. He states that he is deaf.
A group of about 100 former national security officials urged the Senate to “carefully scrutinize” his nomination, questioning his level of experience and views on the Middle East.
