1. United States
2. Vt.
3. Letter

I am writing regarding Donald Trump's concerning nomination of Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence. Gabbard lacks the necessary credentials and experience for such a critical role overseeing our nation's intelligence agencies. As a former member of Congress with no professional intelligence background, she is woefully unqualified to lead the integration of sensitive data and analysis from across the intelligence community. Moreover, Gabbard's track record of cozying up to autocratic leaders like Vladimir Putin, Bashar al-Assad, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan raises alarming questions about her ability to safeguard intelligence-sharing with allied nations. Her pro-Russia, pro-Syria stances undermine confidence that she can be an objective, non-partisan steward of our national security interests. Confirming someone so overtly sympathetic to US adversaries could jeopardize intelligence cooperation and compromise our global standing. For the sake of our nation's security and standing on the world stage, I urge you to reject this ill-advised nomination. The director of national intelligence must be an apolitical professional with unimpeachable integrity and counterintelligence expertise. Tulsi Gabbard fails to meet these fundamental criteria. Please prioritize national security over partisan politics by insisting on a qualified, vetted nominee who will faithfully execute this office's critical duties.