Trump picks Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence

President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence.

“I know Tulsi will bring to our intelligence community the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career, defending our constitutional rights and securing peace through strength. Tulsi will make us all proud!” he announced in a press release on Wednesday.

FORMER DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT TULSI GABBARD JOINS REPUBLIC PARTY AT TRUMP RALLY

Gabbard, an active-duty Army veteran and reservist, served in the House as a Democrat from Hawaii from 2013 to 2021, before joining the Republican Party and campaigning for Trump in his last race for office. presidency. She is now co-chair of Trump's transition team.

Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democrat in the Hawaii House of Representatives, is on a short list of candidates for director of national intelligence, multiple sources confirmed to Fox News Digital. (Getty Images)

In September, Gabbard told Fox News Digital that she would be “honored” to join a Trump administration and added that ending “the influence of the military-industrial complex,” working to prevent World War III and bringing back Putting the United States “on the brink of nuclear war” would be among his priorities.

She was reportedly interested in the defense secretary job, but Trump reportedly promised the nomination to former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, also a military veteran.

Gabbard criticized Democrats as “pro-censorship” and “anti-freedom,” but her criticism extended to Republicans as well. She has spoken out against U.S. involvement in the Middle East and criticized Trump during his first administration for the assassination of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.

Gabbard controversially met with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in 2017, during the country's civil war. She opposed the United States arming Syrian rebel groups and said she was “ready to meet with anyone if there is a chance that it could help end this war.”

Gabbard was reportedly placed on a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) terrorist watch list known as “Quiet Skies” earlier this year.

Trump hugs Gabbard during a campaign rally at the Greensboro Coliseum, October 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

The program allows federal air marshals to track U.S. citizens and gather information about their behavior in an effort to stop threats “posed by unknown or partially known terrorists.”

TULSI GABBARD SAYS SHE WOULD BE “HONORED” TO JOIN A POTENTIAL TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

“While I was traveling, I would go through 30 to 45 minutes of screening every time I went to the airport to fly,” she told Fox's One Nation. “I noticed air marshals, I noticed K-9 teams. There were things that I saw and noticed that were very unusual. But the pain and harm and stress most deep problems that have been caused by this is that, forever, I will always be looking over my shoulder, wondering if and how my government is watching me.

Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, questions Ambassador Kurt Volker, a former special envoy to Ukraine, and Tim Morrison, a former National Security Council official, as they testify before the House Intelligence Committee in Capitol Hill in Washington on November 19. 2019, during a public impeachment hearing regarding President Trump's efforts to tie U.S. aid to Ukraine to investigations into his political opponents. (Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via Reuters)

In Congress, she co-sponsored legislation that would ban the first use of nuclear weapons and often denounces politicians who “beat the drum of war and stir up tensions.”

Gabbard, who contributes to Fox News, could not be reached for comment.

Trump on Tuesday tapped John Ratcliffe, his former director of national intelligence, to lead the CIA.

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The director of national intelligence heads an office that advises the president, the National Security Council, and the Homeland Security Council on national security matters. Any nominee for this position must be confirmed by the Senate or appointed in an acting capacity.