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| Donald Trump's Cabinet pick Tulsi Gabbard won't answer whether Assad is a war criminal after cozy 2017 meeting | |
| 2024-12-10 | |
Tulsi Gabbard refused to answer whether she believed Assad - who has ordered chemical weapons used on his own Syrian people - is a war criminal, Fox News first reported. The inquiry came just a day after Assad reportedly fled his native Syria to Moscow after rebel forces took control of the Middle Eastern nation he ruled since 2000. Gabbard notoriously met with Assad during a 'fact-finding' mission to the nation seven years ago, a trip that caused consternation and generated much controversy. When she went as a Democrat? Syria is a country with which the U.S. does not have formal diplomatic relations, and U.S. military forces aligned themselves with rebel factions in the country's civil war. Assad instead opted to team up with Russia, who has operated military instillations around the country for years. Now tapped as Trump's top intelligence official, Gabbard's cozy relationship with Assad is now coming under heightened scrutiny, especially given the ex-dictator's prominence in the news recently. "cozy". No bias there And given that Assad is now being harbored by one of the U.S.'s chief geopolitical rivals, the senators tasked with confirming Gabbard to DNI have lots of questions about her trip. 'A lot of her past statements deserve inquiry,' Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy told DailyMail.com. 'I think she was one of the earliest parrators of Damascus and Kremlin talking points.' 'You can have a sincere belief that brutal dictators should remain in power, but I think we need to pose some inquiries as to why she took the positions that she took at a time when very few other people believed that Bashar Al-Assad or Vladimir Putin deserved defense.' Murphy added that he has no doubt there are better people for the job, though he did not say whether he was opposed to voting for her. Delaware Democratic Sen. Chris Coons had an even harsher assessment. In repeated interviews since her journey to Syria, Gabbard maintained her trip to see the devastation brought by the civil war between Assad's forces and rebels and ISIS terrorists was the proper thing to do. 'It continues to be very important for any leader in this country to be willing to meet with others, whether they be friends or adversaries or potential adversaries, if we are serious about the pursuit of peace and securing our country,' she said in a 2019 interview about her sit down with Assad. Republicans, who will have the majority next Congress and task with shepherding Trump's DNI pick through the upper chamber come January, were less worried about Gabbard's past meeting with the former dictator. Republican Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin responded to reporters questions about Gabbard saying 2017 was a different time. 'What was happening in 2017 is completely different than what was going on today,' he said. And he was quick to point out: 'The information we were getting in 2017 from the Obama administration.' Noting the attacks carried out on the Syrian people by Assad's forces the Republican remarked how the perspective back then was different, and that leading sources at the time primarily blamed Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah for many Syrian atrocities. South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham after meeting with Gabbard noted the differences the two have had in the past. 'We’ve had policy differences,' he said. 'But, you know, she'll be serving Trump.' Though he did admit that he liked her during the sit-down. When pressed about Gabbard's relationship with Assad, Sen. John Cornyn simply responded: 'I'm looking forward to meeting with her.' Related: Tulsi Gabbard 12/06/2024 Trump taps businessman and former Abraham Accords negotiator as hostage point-man, and more noms Tulsi Gabbard 12/02/2024 Will there be purges in American intelligence? Tulsi Gabbard 11/29/2024 The Powerful and Intelligent Women Joining the Trump Administration | |
| Posted by:Youngest Fossil on Rantburg |
| #10 IIRC, some thought the chemical attack was staged by once a future ISIS to give NATO a pretext to provide air cover for an assault against Team Assad. The Green Light passed UK and France spooky fast, and while it looked like support in US Congress stalled Obama could just order attacks anyways, when Kerry stuck is foot in his mouth and gave a politically viable solution. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2024-12-10 14:53 |
| #9 Why shoot your mouth off about any foreign leaders when you are a nominee for director of national intelligence? |
| Posted by: Regular joe 2024-12-10 14:51 |
| #8 Still believing the russia russia russia stuff eh? She has no position in calling him a terrorist. That is a title given, or not, by the current administration. It will be Trumps administrations call when he is in power. |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2024-12-10 13:13 |
| #7 One of Putin's useful idiots. And a Democrat. Do not trust her one inch. |
| Posted by: Injun the Wicked3081 2024-12-10 11:12 |
| #6 The MSM just doesn't get it. Slandering the other side doesn't work anymore and they will continue to slide into irrelevancy. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2024-12-10 10:49 |
| #5 I would like to retroactively comment on those articles pointing out that Tulsi is hot. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2024-12-10 10:21 |
| #4 Considering that the DNI has to work with the CIA, maybe meeting a 'war criminal' is positive experience for the job. |
| Posted by: ed in texas 2024-12-10 08:46 |
| #3 She was in the Rantburg archives. The two articles can be seen here. And yes, Frank G, in those days she was a Democrat. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2024-12-10 08:42 |
| #2 "But I can say with assurance that he's not a woman - even if he gets the operation." |
| Posted by: Grom the Reflective 2024-12-10 04:35 |
| #1 The left just does not get it. Like a 2 year old throwing a temper tantrum. The slander continues... |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2024-12-10 01:06 |