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The officials highlighted that Gabbard's past actions and statements cast doubt on her ability to deliver objective intelligence briefings to the President and national security apparatus. They emphasized that Gabbard would be the least experienced individual to occupy the DNI position since its inception in 2004. A particularly concerning aspect of her candidacy was her secretive meeting with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, which followed her outspoken skepticism about U.S. intelligence reports blaming Assad's regime for a chemical weapons attack that caused numerous civilian casualties.
This skepticism was reiterated publicly during her 2020 presidential campaign when she dismissed Assad as “not the enemy” of the United States, arguing that Syria does not pose a direct threat.