President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, to be the next Director of National Intelligence.
Gabbard, a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve, will likely oversee America's vast intelligence agencies and determine how much they spy on Americans and influence them abroad.
Spook World is helped run by John Ratcliffe, a former Texas congressman and former DNI who is leaving for the CIA.
Gabbard background
The 43-year-old Hawaiian, who left the Democratic Party in 2022 and endorsed President Trump in August, has been a longtime critic of U.S. military and foreign policy.
Gabbard spoke with Fox talker Laura Ingraham in July and said President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have not implemented such policies.
“Our foreign policy decisions are made by the unelected members of the military-industrial complex, who benefit from our nation's continued state of war, and whose national security has more power to undermine our liberties and liberties when our country is at war,” she said.
She also explained the differences between Harris and Trump that led to her support.
Kamala Harris does not have the power to stand up to the military-industrial complex and the national security state. Therefore, she will continue to be a public figure, just as Joe Biden has been. And…this is where there is a clear choice in this election. Donald Trump is strong. He will assume command as supreme commander. He will stand up to the military-industrial complex and the national security state. He will prevent us from getting into unnecessary wars and make decisions that are actually in the best interest of the American people and our own safety.
After the commentary, Ms. Gabbard learned that federal air marshals were tracking her movements under the government's “Quiet Skies” surveillance program aimed at keeping tabs on terrorists.
So, as DNI, she will put the government's domestic surveillance under the microscope and figure out who is being watched and why.
Gabbard served four terms in the House of Representatives and wrote the best-selling book “For the Love of Country: Leaving the Democrats Behind.''
She is also an accomplished surfer.
Ratcliffe's story
As for Mr. Ratcliffe, who was nominated by President Trump yesterday, when Democratic leaders accused Hunter Biden's laptop of “Russian disinformation,” DNI Ratcliffe said that was not true.
From the time the New York Post first published the story in October 2020, Ratcliffe said this was not “Russian disinformation.” He accused Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) of pushing false information.
“It's funny that some of the people who complain the most about intelligence agencies being politicized are also politicizing intelligence agencies,” Ratcliffe told Fox News' Maria Bartiromo in 2020. The House Intelligence Committee said…the intelligence community believes Hunter Biden's laptop and the emails used on it are part of a Russian disinformation campaign.
Mr Ratcliffe continued:
Let me be clear: the intelligence community doesn't believe that. Because there is no intelligence agency to back it up. And we have not shared information with Chairman Schiff or any member of Congress that Hunter Biden's laptop is part of a Russian disinformation campaign.
That's simply not true.
Hunter Biden's laptop lie
Ratcliffe stated the obvious, claiming Schiff was “Russian disinformation” meant to protect the Biden campaign.
“Hunter Biden's laptop is not part of a Russian disinformation campaign,” Ratcliffe reiterated.
The far-left pro-Biden media did not listen and repeated the lies. So were 51 former intelligence officials.
And Biden famously said this in his third debate against Trump.
There are 50 former national intelligence officials who have said that what[Trump]is accusing me of is a Russian factory. Five former CIA directors (from both parties) say what he says is a load of garbage.
But it wasn't “trash”.
Shortly before Trump's surprising victory in last week's election, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance told podcaster Joe Rogan that big tech media's lies about laptops swung the election in Biden's favor. he said.
If they hadn't done that, Donald Trump would have won another term as President of the United States. That if millions and millions of floating voters had known the evidence of Joe Biden's corruption and it had been staring them in the face, we would never have been able to bring that evidence out. You'll never be able to convince me of that.
But Vance also said intelligence and other officials who lied about the laptop would have their security clearances revoked. That would effectively end their careers.
With Gabbard and Ratcliffe now in charge of intelligence, change may be coming.
But crucial to the new administration's success will be the removal of other key officials known to have undermined President Trump during his first term.
Another Trump appointee is South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, an immigration hawk, to head the Department of Homeland Security. Florida Congressman Mike Walz will become National Security Advisor. Republican New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik will serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Today, President Trump nominated Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to be Secretary of State.
