President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for director of national intelligence, former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, is facing criticism over her limited experience with the nation’s intelligence agencies and a history of statements that echo Russian disinformation, which critics argue should disqualify her for the role.

Gabbard, 43, served as a Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii between 2013 and 2021 and ran for her party’s presidential nomination in 2020 before switching to the Republican Party earlier this year. She has been accused of expressing views sympathetic to the Kremlin and promoting narratives aligned with Russian propaganda, particularly regarding its invasion of Ukraine.

At the start of the conflict, Gabbard attributed Russia’s aggression to what she described as the Biden administration and NATO ignoring Russia’s “legitimate security concerns” over Ukraine’s potential NATO membership.

In March 2022, she posted a video on Twitter, now X, discussing alleged U.S.-funded biolabs in Ukraine. She claimed these labs posed a significant risk of being “compromised” and called for a ceasefire in the areas surrounding them, urging cooperation between Russia, Ukraine, NATO, and the United Nations to secure the facilities.

Critics argue that Gabbard’s remarks have amplified Russian narratives and question her ability to lead the U.S. intelligence community, whose work includes countering disinformation and protecting national security from foreign influence.