Most Talked-About Controversies Linked to Tulsi Gabbard

A closer look at the most debated and controversial moments involving Tulsi Gabbard.

Tulsi Gabbard is an American politician and military officer currently serving as the Director of National Intelligence since 2025. A Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve since 2021, she previously served as a U.S. Representative for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district (2013-2021). Gabbard's political affiliations have shifted over time, beginning as a Democrat, becoming an Independent in 2022, and later joining the Republican Party in 2024. She was also the youngest state legislator in Hawaii from 2002 to 2004.

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Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Controversies & Scandals

1998: Support for Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment

In 1998, at age 17, Tulsi Gabbard supported her father's campaign to amend the Constitution of Hawaii to give lawmakers the power to "reserve marriage to opposite-sex couples". She also favored the Federal Marriage Amendment.

2016: Criticism of DNC Chair and Endorsement of Bernie Sanders

In 2016, Tulsi Gabbard accused Wasserman Schultz of favoring Hillary Clinton in the primary.

2017: Gabbard Clarifies 2017 Syria Trip

In 2017, Tulsi Gabbard addressed her 2017 trip to Syria with Dennis Kucinich, clarifying that he arranged the meetings and that she was unaware of extremist remarks made by Grand Mufti Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun. She stated the trip was cleared by House Ethics and that she informed the Trump administration upon her return. She also assured that whistleblowers would have proper legal channels and would not protect those who disclosed classified intelligence improperly.

September 2019: Media Coverage of Gabbard's Presidential Campaign

In September 2019, media coverage of Gabbard's presidential campaign was summarized by Vanity Fair as "the press hates Gabbard even more than it hates Sanders".

October 2019: Accusations of McCarthyism and Media Attacks

Also in October 2019, James Carden of The Nation wrote that "McCarthyism had gone mainstream" as media attacked Tulsi Gabbard.

October 2019: Hillary Clinton's "Russian Asset" Claim

In October 2019, Hillary Clinton suggested that Tulsi Gabbard was a "Russian asset", leading to defenses from fellow presidential candidates and Trump, and condemnation from CNN's Van Jones.

December 2019: Saturday Night Live Parodies

After the December 2019 debate, Saturday Night Live's parodies of the debates showed Tulsi Gabbard as the villain.

December 2019: Gabbard Votes "Present" on Trump Impeachment

In December 2019, Tulsi Gabbard voted "present" during the House of Representatives vote to impeach President Trump, citing The Federalist Papers essay No. 65. She also introduced H. Res. 766 to censure Trump for his foreign policy decisions, leaving the question of removing him from office to the voters. She expressed concerns that the impeachment would negatively impact her party's chances in the upcoming elections.

January 2020: Legal Defamation Lawsuit Against Clinton

In January 2020, Tulsi Gabbard filed a legal defamation lawsuit against Hillary Clinton over the 'Russian asset' assertion.

September 2020: Conversion of Presidential Campaign Committee and Criticism of Netflix Film

In September 2020, Tulsi Gabbard converted her presidential campaign committee, Tulsi Now, into Tulsi Aloha, a leadership PAC. That same month, she criticized Netflix over the film Cuties, arguing that it contributed to the exploitation of children.

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2020: Introduction of "Protect Women's Sports Act"

In 2020, Tulsi Gabbard and Republican U.S. representative Markwayne Mullin introduced the "Protect Women's Sports Act," which sought to define Title IX protections based on biological sex. This led to condemnation from activists and LGBTQ organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign.

2020: Shift in Political Positions in 2020

In 2020, Tulsi Gabbard, while maintaining liberal stances on domestic issues during her presidential primary run, began adopting positions more aligned with the Republican Party on social issues, including abortion, gun control, and transgender rights. She introduced a bill to ban trans women from female sports and supported that women sports should be for biological females.

January 2021: Launch of Podcast and Appearances on Fox News

In January 2021, Tulsi Gabbard launched her own podcast, called This is Tulsi Gabbard. She also made several appearances on Fox News programs, criticizing figures such as House speaker Nancy Pelosi and U.S. representative Adam Schiff.

March 9, 2022: Gabbard Expresses Concern Over Unsecured Bio Agents in Ukraine

On March 9, 2022, during an interview with Tucker Carlson, Tulsi Gabbard expressed extreme concern about the potential presence of unsecured and dangerous bio agents in 20 to 30 labs located within Ukraine, amidst the ongoing war zone.

March 13, 2022: Mitt Romney accuses Gabbard of parroting Russian propaganda

On March 13, 2022, Mitt Romney tweeted that Tulsi Gabbard made bogus claims about a US funded covert biological weapons program in Ukraine and that she is parroting false Russian propaganda, saying that her treasonous lies may well cost lives.

October 11, 2022: Announcement of Leaving the Democratic Party

On October 11, 2022, Tulsi Gabbard announced on Twitter that she was leaving the Democratic Party, citing disagreements with its leadership.

2022: Endorsement of Florida Parental Rights in Education Act

In 2022, Tulsi Gabbard endorsed the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act, which restricts classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in public schools. She stated the bill "bans government and government schools from indoctrinating woke sexual values in our schools to a captive audience".

2022: Accusations of promoting Russian disinformation

In 2022, Tulsi Gabbard was accused by several news organizations of accusing the U.S. of running bioweapons laboratories in Ukraine and echoing Russian conspiracy theories regarding U.S.-funded biolabs in Ukraine, which were alleged to be creating deadly bioweapons. These accusations emerged after Trump nominated Gabbard for DNI.

August 30, 2024: Milbank Accuses Gabbard of Endorsing Russian Propaganda

On August 30, 2024, Dana Milbank accused Tulsi Gabbard of endorsing Russian propaganda in a Washington Post op-ed, falsely claiming that the United States was funding biological laboratories in Ukraine that could spread dangerous pathogens.

November 2024: BBC reports Gabbard called for evidence

In November 2024 the BBC reported that Tulsi Gabbard had called for evidence to be presented to Congress regarding the Assad regime being behind gas attacks.

March 2025: Gabbard's Testimony Before Congress on Iran's Nuclear Program

In March 2025, Tulsi Gabbard testified before Congress stating that the US intelligence community "continues to assess Iran is not building a nuclear weapon", while also raising concerns about Iran's enriched uranium stockpile.

March 2025: Gabbard Involved in Signal Leak Controversy

In March 2025, Tulsi Gabbard was involved in controversy when plans for US attacks in Yemen, discussed in a Signal group chat including other senior administration members, were leaked to journalist Jeffrey Goldberg. Gabbard admitted sharing information with Goldberg was a "mistake" but claimed none of it was classified. Following the Signal leak, Der Spiegel used other leaked data to find personal online accounts of US security officials, including Gabbard, but her office asserted she hadn't used those accounts in years.

June 2025: Gabbard Clarifies Position on Iran's Nuclear Weapons

In June 2025, Tulsi Gabbard clarified her position on Iran's nuclear weapons, stating that she agreed with President Trump that Iran could build a nuclear weapon in weeks, and blamed the media for taking her March testimony "out of context".