Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said this week that while some members of Donald Trump’s incoming cabinet may have different views than the Canadian government on a range of policy issues, it is important that “respect and effective cooperation between our two countries be maintained.” He said that it would not interfere with “a friendly relationship.”
But the elevation of Tulsi Gabbard to director of national intelligence (DNI) in Trump’s second administration could cause “a lot of headaches” for Western allies, according to at least one analyst. It is said that there is.
“We decided to actually outsource a lot of our intelligence gathering,” Stephanie Carvin, an associate professor of international relations at Carleton University in Ottawa who previously worked as a national security analyst, said in an interview with CBC News. Given what happened, Canada should be concerned.” It’s from the US. ”
When Ukraine first came under Russian attack in February 2022, Gabbard said it showed that President Joe Biden’s administration did not recognize “Russia’s legitimate security concerns about Ukraine’s membership in NATO.” He said that.
Weeks later, he said it was an “undeniable fact” that there were several U.S.-funded biological weapons laboratories in Ukraine that could “release and spread deadly pathogens.”
Investigative reporter Justin Lin explains how the QAnon conspiracy theory about a U.S.-funded “biolab” in Ukraine turned into mainstream disinformation and what it says about Russia’s own dangerous ambitions. Reveal what you are suggesting.
While the first claim regarding the reasons for Russia’s invasion departs from the views of the current US administration and its Western allies, which have provided military aid to Ukraine, the second claim, in Kervin’s words, is a “straight-up” This reflects Gabbard’s sensibilities. -Internet conspiracy theories. ”
Elsewhere in the world, Ms. Gabbard has expressed a desire to evolve from a purely defensive military capability (she said that Mr. Trump’s meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un was a positive development), a merely paradoxical opinion. He has supported a variety of opinions, including unconventional ones that question Japan’s aspirations. , “Considering the Japanese Aggression in the Pacific” in World War II.
In January 2017, Gabbard, a Democrat, went freelance and met with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. In April of the same year, Gabbard claimed that Assad had launched a chemical weapons attack against the Syrian people, even though the first Trump administration had expressed a “very high level of confidence” that this was the case. He said he was “sceptical.”
“Assad is not an enemy of the United States, because Syria is not a direct threat to the United States,” Gabbard told MSNBC nearly two years later, as she was planning a long-term presidential bid.
Canada and agencies such as the Canadian Security Intelligence Agency and the RCMP could be left in a precarious position with Gabbard in such a prominent role. Canada “receives more from the Five Eyes Alliance than it sends to it.” Reports on foreign interference The group, which also includes the US, Australia, UK and New Zealand, announced the government commission last year.
“I don’t think this is the end.” [Canada-U.S.] “I don’t think this relationship will be the end of Five Eyes,” Carvin said. “We will continue to explore more of what will be carried over and how it will be shared and under what circumstances.” Will it be considered?” There’s no question that she probably will if she’s confirmed. ”
Bolton criticizes Gabbard’s choice
Democrats are understandably wary of her nomination, but Sen. Elizabeth Warren said on CNN Thursday that Gabbard is “obviously on board.” [Vladimir] Some conservatives, including former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger and former Trump administration national security adviser John Bolton, have also raised concerns about the pick.
“By announcing Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence, he is sending a signal that we have lost our minds when it comes to intelligence gathering,” Bolton told NewsNation on Wednesday about Trump’s choice. spoke.
Donald Trump continues to appoint close allies to key Cabinet positions. His most recent appointments include Matt Gaetz as attorney general and Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence. How will they shape Trump’s second administration? Power & Politics told reporters in Washington.
Bolton said Gabbard should undergo a thorough FBI veterinary examination “given her belief in Russian propaganda.”
Gabbard needs the go-ahead from just 50 Republican senators to take the DNI job, but Trump’s recent social media posts about the recess appointment have some Democrats worried. They fear he will try to avoid confirmation hearings altogether to avoid backlash against some candidates.
As DNI, Gabbard will oversee information collected by 18 agencies. The list includes the Central Intelligence Agency and various branches of the military, but also includes information gathered from the Department of Homeland Security, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Department of Energy.
This position was created in response to the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations regarding gaps in intelligence gathering and sharing leading up to the Sept. 11, 2001, plane attacks on U.S. soil that killed approximately 3,000 people.
There are concerns about sharing and leakage.
President Trump has railed against the “deep state,” accusing the U.S. intelligence community of trying to undermine his first administration and political activities.
The 2016 presidential campaign was willing to hear potentially damaging information about Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton from Russian sources, but a subsequent investigation found the campaign did not collude with Russia. It turned out that. Two years later, President Trump was famously ambivalent about whether he believed U.S. intelligence or Russian leaders regarding allegations of Kremlin interference in the 2016 election, sitting next to President Putin at a Finland summit. is.
The first of Trump’s two impeachments between 2019 and 2021 was for allegedly pressuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to cooperate in an exercise to dig up dirt on Biden. The effort was led by Mr. Trump’s personal lawyer, and centered on a telephone conversation in which he was asked to speak publicly. , Rudy Giuliani.
While her Democratic colleagues in the House of Representatives voted in favor of impeaching Trump, Gabbard voted “present,” making her the only member of Congress to vote in favor of impeachment.
Philip Ingram, a former British military intelligence officer, told Reuters this week that Gabbard’s past comments about Russia “should ring alarm bells around the world.” Ingram said intelligence officials could be “more selective about the level of detail they want to convey,” including how they protect source and phrase information.
Carleton University’s Carvin said another concern is the risk that “information could be leaked or sources and methods could be shared in a way that is counterproductive.”
John Ratcliffe, who was selected by President Trump this week to head the CIA, has already been accused by Democrats of doing just that. Politicized and unverifiable information Days before the 2020 election while serving as DNI. Even President Trump’s former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper questioned Ratcliffe’s priorities. in a particular incident It “risked exposing highly sensitive intelligence sources and methods,” all apparently at the behest of President Trump.
As CIA director, Ratcliffe will report to Gabbard.
bitter defection from Democratic Party
In some ways, it would be fitting for Gabbard to become DNI. My career was full of turning points and changes in position.including domestic issues such as access to abortion.
She was a four-term Democratic congresswoman and was hailed as a rare figure upon her arrival. A Hindu from Hawaii, she was a rare female veteran in the Congress party at the time.
In the 2016 Democratic primary, Gabbard supported progressive candidate Bernie Sanders over longtime party establishment Hillary Clinton, but four years later she supported longtime party establishment candidate Biden. I supported Mr.
Two years later, she became independent, 87 Words, single sentence critical sentences It characterized the Democratic Party as “now under the complete control of an elitist cabal of warmongers driven by a vile wokeness.”
She endorsed Trump over Kamala Harris in August, and this week became one of many politicians and officials to be rewarded for their loyalty by the president-elect.
