WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Vice President JD Vance said bureaucrats in the U.S. intelligence services are “out of control” and defended Tulsi Gabbard, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the agency, as the right person for the job.
“The bureaucrats in our intelligence services have gotten completely out of control,” Vance said in an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation” that aired Sunday. “They were part of the weapons of our political system, the weapons of our justice system.
“We have to have good intelligence services to keep us safe, but part of that is restoring confidence in those services and we think Tulsi is the right person to do that.”
Gabbard’s selection in November to be director of national intelligence sent shock waves through the national security establishment, adding to concerns that the intelligence community will become increasingly politicized.
The former Democratic congresswoman lacks significant intelligence experience and has been critical of Trump in the past. Her supporters say she has a healthy skepticism about foreign US military involvement, in line with Trump’s US policies.
Asked about criticism of Gabbard, even from conservative circles, Vance said he was confident Gabbard would be confirmed by the US Senate. The Senate Intelligence Committee has scheduled a Jan. 30 hearing on her nomination.
“Two things that are important to know about Tulsi. First of all, she is a career military servant who has had a classification at the highest levels for almost two decades,” Vance said. “He has an impeccable character, an impeccable service record, and he is also someone who I think will restore confidence in the intelligence services.”
