1. United States
2. N.Y.
3. Letter

Trump’s cabinet selections include sexual predators, extremists, the wildly unqualified and multiple people who threaten the lives of Americans. Even among this rogue’s gallery, his selection of Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence stands out as unique, as there is genuine debate as to whether Gabbard is compromised by Russia. She is a longtime and frequent defender of the Putin regime and parrot for their propaganda, advocating for U.S. foreign policy towards Syria and Ukraine to take the positions Moscow would prefer. (In 2018, a Syrian dissident was wary of testifying in front of the House Foreign Affairs Committee out of concern Gabbard would share his identity with the Assad dictatorship.) She is a consumer of Russian state media, despite having been advised it wasn’t credible – and they praised her nomination by Trump, referring to her as “our girlfriend.” She’s been condemned even by right wingers and national security officials from Trump’s first term. If you love our country more than you’re afraid of upsetting Trump, this is not a difficult call to make. Vote no on Tulsi Gabbard. Our country cannot afford a DNI we cannot trust.