US-POLITICS-INTELLIGENCE-GABBARD

Tulsi Gabbard (2nd R), with US President Donald Trump (L), and her husband Abraham Williams (R), is sworn in as Director of National Intelligence (DNI) by US Attorney General Pam Bondi in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 12, 2025. The Republican-controlled US Senate confirmed Tulsi Gabbard earlier as Trump's choice to lead the country's intelligence services, despite criticism over her lack of experience and past support for Russia and Syria. Gabbard -- appointed to be director of national intelligence -- has faced questions over her 2017 meeting with now-deposed Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and her peddling of Kremlin propaganda, particularly false conspiracy theories about the Ukraine war. She is also regarded with suspicion over her views on US government surveillance and her backing for National Security Agency (NSA) leaker Edward Snowden, seen on both sides of Congress as having imperiled Americans' safety. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)