In this position Tulsi Gabbard will be able to find out why she was put on the DHS “watch list” within the TSA. Additionally, I note that all of the nominations and appointments have come from within the group of campaign surrogates and campaign officials. Perhaps that filter disqualifies anyone else.
President Trump Announces his nomination of former Democrat Representative, former DNC Co-Chair, and former Bernie Sanders campaign spox, Tulsi Gabbard, to be Director of National Intelligence.
I’m sorry folks, we are going to have to wait to understand the thinking behind this one. I have absolutely no idea. Mrs Gabbard has never led any organization of scale, nor held any position of intelligence review that I am aware of.
Other than being a campaign surrogate (via RFK Jr) and very close friend of Tucker Carlson, who I’m told is one of a small group organizing the cabinet appointments; together with Donald Trump Jr, Vivek Ramaswamy, Elon Musk and Robert F Kennedy Jr. (currently living in Mar-a-Lago); I’m not sure what would be the plan for Tulsi Gabbard (maybe with guidance from Ric Grenell?). Like everyone else, I’m puzzled.
I read every sentence of that announcement carefully. I don’t see mention of a skillset attributable to IC organization or large institutional leadership. However, maybe it is Tulsi Gabbard’s inherent sense toward protecting constitutional freedom that is of great value. Gabbard does express a solid strain of Rand Paul type libertarianism.
I am aware that everyone associated with the intelligence position decision-making on the transition team believes the Intelligence Community (IC) is a worthy, important and valuable construct, unfortunately led by corrupt individuals. Newly appointed National Security Advisor Mike Waltz is one of many who hold this opinion.
The transition team earnestly believe the honorable IC ‘rank and file’ paradigm; a type of thinking/wish-casting that I dropped many years ago. As a consequence, perhaps they believe that changing the faceplates will stop the silo engineers from using the weapons within it. Frankly, I’m just not sure.
From a distance Tulsi Gabbard seems like a nice person, and I’m told she is very differential to consensus amid group settings.
Perhaps as the hub of the 17 agency intelligence silos, DNI Tulsi Gabbard will be able to organize a less harmful end result from the intelligence community.
Perhaps going in with a singular goal of changing the way information is classified would be enough sunlight to change the system, I just don’t know. I don’t even know if that’s their goal. Mrs. Tulsi Gabbard was not on my bingo card for possible ODNI candidates.
I will watch the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) confirmation hearing with great interest.
I want everyone to be successful, including ‘We the People.’
