In the strongest rebuttal yet to the Democratic narrative that she is a puppet for US President Donald Trump and world leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Tulsi Gabbard, the president’s nominee for national intelligence director, pushed back against such claims on Thursday.
"Democrats have accused me of being Trump’s puppet, Putin’s puppet, Assad’s puppet, and Modi’s puppet, but what really unsettles them is that I refuse to be their puppet," she said during a tense confirmation hearing that could block her nomination to lead the country’s vast intelligence apparatus.
Gabbard, 43, the first Hindu American to be elected to the House of Representatives, appeared before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence for her confirmation hearing to become the Director of National Intelligence. In this role, she would oversee US intelligence agencies such as the CIA and the FBI.
In a scathing attack on Democratic Senators, Gabbard, once a Democrat turned Trump supporter, also claimed that they were trying to stir up religious bigotry against Hindus and Hinduism.
Trying to Foment Religious Bigotry Against Hindus
Since being tapped by Trump to head the country’s intelligence agency, Gabbard has faced criticism from some of her opponents over her Hindu faith.
"Democratic senators in the past used anti-Christian bigotry against some of President Trump’s judicial nominees like Amy Coney Barrett and Brian Buescher. I condemned those actions as a Democrat in Congress at the time, as religious bigotry must be thoroughly condemned by all of us, no matter the religion," she said, as quoted by news agency PTI.
"Unfortunately, some Democratic senators still do not understand the principle of freedom of religion and Article 6 of the Constitution, which states that no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification for any office or public trust under the United States," she continued.
"Unfortunately, they are once again using the religious bigotry card, but this time trying to foment religious bigotry against Hindus and Hinduism. If anyone is sincerely interested in knowing more about my own personal spiritual path of Hinduism, I welcome you to visit my account on X, where I’ll share more on this topic," Gabbard added.
In a three-hour hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee, former Congresswoman and member of the Hawaii Army National Guard Gabbard revised her stance on Russia's invasion of Ukraine. She said that she had "no love" for Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and denied meeting with Hezbollah representatives during a 2017 trip to Lebanon.
Gabbard, a fierce critic of the US intelligence community, claimed that she had been subjected to "lies and smears" ahead of a committee vote in which she needed the support of every Republican member.
Some senators, who doubted her competency, mentioned her previous assertions that Vladimir Putin’s security concerns in Ukraine justified his actions, as well as her visit to Damascus in 2017 and her stance on Edward Snowden. Gabbard concurred that Snowden had broken several laws but insisted that she would never label him a traitor after several interventions by Democratic Senators.
"The fact is, what really unsettles my political opponents is that I refuse to be their puppet. I have no love for Assad or Gaddafi or any dictator. I just hate al-Qaida. I hate that we have leaders who cozy up to Islamist extremists," she said.
Read also| 21st-Century History Will Focus on US-China Relations: Rubio
Read also| US Commerce Secretary Nominee: India, China Have Highest Tariffs but No Inflation
