WASHINGTON, February 13. /TASS/. Tulsi Gabbard was sworn in on February 12 as director of the US national intelligence service, the White House press pool reported.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi administered the oath of office to Gabbard and the ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House was also attended by US President Donald Trump.
Earlier on Wednesday, the US Senate approved Gabbard for the post of the US intelligence service chief. Trump nominated her to the post on November 13, 2024.
US-based daily The Hill quoted Trump as saying at the ceremony about Gabbard that she is "an American of extraordinary courage and patriotism."
The new US intelligence chief thanked the president and vowed in response to "refocus our intelligence community."
"Unfortunately, the American people have very little trust in the intelligence community, largely because they’ve seen the weaponization and politicization of an entity that is supposed to be purely focused on ensuring our national security," she said.
Gabbard is known for her criticism of the previous US administration’s foreign policies with regard to Russia and Ukraine. She accused the administration of ex-US President Joe Biden of trying to protract the Ukrainian conflict in an attempt to weaken Russia, and called for negotiations between the sides.
In 2022 she said that all attempts to settle the Ukrainian crisis need to include Kiev’s territorial losses and its neutral status. She also emphasized the need for the US to participate in the peace process and criticized military aid to the Kiev government, which, in her opinion, only protracts the conflict.