Nikki Haley criticizes Gabbard pick because "National Intelligence is no place for a Russian, Iranian, Syrian or Chinese sympathizer"

Former Republican presidential primary candidate and former ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley sharply criticized the choice of Tulsi Gabbard by President-elect Donald Trump as director of National Intelligence. Haley noted that this post "is no place for a Russian, Iranian, Syrian or Chinese sympathizer."

"An honest broker without pronounced political bias"

On her show on SiriusXM, Haley stressed that the top intelligence official is a "job for an honest broker without pronounced political biases." The former ambassador noted that beyond the fact that Gabbard "now says she's a Republican," one must check her facts and statements to get to know the character:

"Let's look at what they've said, what their actions are. DNI, that is the president's top intelligence advisor. It's supposed to fairly represent the views of 18 separate intelligence agencies and units. It has the authority over a hundred billion dollars annual U.S. Spy budget. And it holds sway over which secrets we declassify. That's a big deal. This is a job for an honest broker without any pronounced policy biases. So hold that thought for a second."

Gabbard "opposed sanctions against Iran"

Something that, for her, Trump's choice does not meet, in light of his positions at key moments in international politics and Intelligence in the past:

"What are the facts about Tulsi Gabbard? She opposed ending the Iran nuclear deal. She opposed sanctions on Iran. She opposed designating the Iran military as terrorists who say death to America every single day. She said that Donald Trump turned the U.S. into Saudi Arabia's prostitute. This is going to be the future head of our national intelligence. In Congress, Tulsi criticized Trump's authoritarian strike against Qasem Soleimani. Now, I will remind you, he was considered the 'Master of Death' in Iran. She said he had no justification whatsoever for killing him. She tried to limit Trump's war powers against Iran. She tried to cut our annual defense budget so that we couldn't punish Iran and hinder their influence. Reminder, Iran is our number one sponsor of terrorism and Tulsi Gabbard was defending Iran."

Gabbard's controversial photo with Bashar Al-Asad and support for Assange and Snowden

In addition, Haley noted that Gabbard also had her picture taken in Syria with Bashar Al-Asad during the bloody crackdown on protests against his rule and expressed doubts about the veracity of allegations that Al-Asad went so far as to use chemical weapons against his own citizens.

The former ambassador to the UN also questioned the ex-democrat's sympathies towards Russia and China, and recalled that Gabbard positioned herself in favor of Assange and Snowden in the cases of leaks that put national security at risk.

"Tulsi Gabbard pushed for dropping charges against WikiLeaks’s Founder Julian Assange and pardoning National Security Agency contractor, Edward Snowden, both who were accused of leaking highly sensitive U.S. Secrets that put Americans in danger."