John Bolton, former national security adviser under President Donald Trump, said Moscow and Beijing should feel a "lot of relief" if Tulsi Gabbard is confirmed as director of national intelligence.
Bolton made the comments in an interview with CNN on Sunday.
"She's not capable of doing it," Bolton told CNN. "Her judgment is nonexistent, and the idea that somehow she would be put in charge of this critical function should be giving our adversaries in Moscow and Beijing a lot of relief."
Bolton's remarks come days after he called Gabbard the "worst cabinet-level appointment in history."
Bolton served as NSA in Trump's first administration for 17 months from 2018-19 before Trump fired him over policy differences.
"I disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did others in the Administration," Trump posted to then-Twitter in September 2019.
The DNI's stated mission "is to lead intelligence integration and forge an intelligence community that delivers the most insightful intelligence possible." Bolton said that's problematic for Gabbard, who served in Congress as a Democrat from 2013-21.
"She doesn't have the slightest idea what the job involves," he said, adding, "She has zero experience dealing with the intelligence community," Bolton told CNN.
Bolton's remarks echo those of Tom Rogan, the conservative foreign policy editor of the Washington Examiner, who wrote last week that "if Gabbard is approved, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin will have an ideological sympathizer holding the keys to the U.S. intelligence community crown jewels."
However, Bolton told CNN he believes enough Senate Republicans will block her nomination.
"I think there will be enough Republicans — maybe not a majority, but enough — to block the nomination," he said. "And if not, we're in deep trouble."
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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