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 formerly represented 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.

Sections (5)

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

1998: Support for Amendment on Marriage

In 1998, when she was 17 years old, Tulsi Gabbard supported her father's successful campaign to amend the Constitution of Hawaii to give lawmakers the power to "reserve marriage to opposite-sex couples".

September 2015: Criticism of DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz

In September 2015, Tulsi Gabbard criticized DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz's decision to limit the number of debates in the 2016 Democratic primary.

October 2015: Reported request not to attend debate

In October 2015, following her criticism of DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Tulsi Gabbard was reportedly asked not to attend the October 2015 debate in Las Vegas.

2015: Meeting with Egyptian dictator 'Abd al-Fattah al-Sisi

In 2015, Tulsi Gabbard met with Egyptian dictator 'Abd al-Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo and commended him for his "great courage and leadership" in his regime's war against "Islamist ideology", which drew widespread criticism.

2016: Involvement in Assessments on Russia's Interference

In 2016, Tulsi Gabbard was indirectly mentioned regarding officials involved in assessments on Russia's efforts to interfere in the 2016 election.

January 2017: Fact-finding mission to Syria and Lebanon

In January 2017, Tulsi Gabbard went on a one-week "fact-finding mission" to Syria and Lebanon, meeting with political and religious leaders and Bashar al-Assad.

April 2017: Response to the Khan Shaykhun chemical attack

In April 2017, following the Khan Shaykhun chemical attack, Tulsi Gabbard expressed skepticism about Assad's responsibility without an independent investigation, drawing parallels to the Iraq War and warning against repeating a "counterproductive regime war" without clear evidence.

2017: Views on Syrian rebels and terrorist groups

After a 2017 visit to Syria, Tulsi Gabbard expressed her view that there is no difference between "moderate" rebels and al-Qaeda or ISIS, stating they are all the same.

2017: Syria Trip

In 2017, Tulsi Gabbard discussed her trip to Syria with former Congressman Dennis Kucinich, stating he arranged the meetings. She clarified that the trip had been cleared by House Ethics and that she informed the Trump administration upon her return.

August 2019: Publication of "Reports on Chemical Attacks in Syria"

In August 2019, the Tulsi 2020 presidential campaign published "Reports on Chemical Attacks in Syria", a compilation of analyses and reports on chemical attacks. The document expressed skepticism about the Khan Shaykhun and Douma attacks and concerns about reliance on unverified sources for military actions.

September 2019: Media coverage summary by Vanity Fair

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

October 2019: Hillary Clinton's suggestion that Gabbard was a "Russian asset"

In October 2019, Hillary Clinton suggested that Tulsi Gabbard was a "Russian asset", leading to defense from other 2020 Democratic presidential candidates and then-President Trump. This led to initial news stories that mistakenly reported Clinton claimed Russia was "grooming" Gabbard to run as a third-party candidate, who would help president Donald Trump win reelection via a spoiler effect.

October 2019: James Carden's article about McCarthyism

In October 2019, The Nation's James Carden wrote that "McCarthyism had gone mainstream" as media attacked Gabbard.

December 2019: Saturday Night Live parodies of Gabbard

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

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December 2019: Voting "present" on articles of impeachment

In December 2019, Tulsi Gabbard cast a "present" vote on both articles of impeachment in the first impeachment of Donald Trump, amidst a period where she missed 85% of votes in Congress.

December 2019: Vote on Trump Impeachment

In December 2019, Tulsi Gabbard voted "present" during the House of Representatives vote to impeach President Trump and introduced H. Res. 766, which would censure Trump for his foreign policy decisions.

January 2020: Filing of a legal defamation lawsuit against Hillary Clinton

In January 2020, Tulsi Gabbard filed a legal defamation lawsuit against Hillary Clinton over the 'Russian asset' assertion as indicated in the complaint; but dropped it five months later

September 2020: Conversion of presidential campaign committee and criticism of Netflix's 'Cuties'

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 a bill titled the "Protect Women's Sports Act" that would seek to define Title IX protections on the basis of an individual's biological sex.

2020: Criticism of Baghdad International Airport airstrike

In 2020, Tulsi Gabbard was critical of the U.S. military's Baghdad International Airport airstrike, which killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, calling it an act of war without congressional authorization.

2020: Shift in Political Positions

In 2020, Tulsi Gabbard's political positions, previously liberal on domestic policy, began to align more with Republican positions on social issues. In 2020 she also introduced a bill to ban trans women from female sports.

2020: Tulsi 2020 campaign publishes report on chemical attacks in Syria

In 2020, the Tulsi 2020 presidential campaign published "Reports on Chemical Attacks in Syria", compiling analyses suggesting that both sides used chemical weapons, while expressing skepticism about the Khan Shaykhun and Douma attacks, but Gabbard "remained skeptical" of the Khan Shaykhun chemical attack, and the Douma chemical attack.

November 2021: Celebration of Glenn Youngkin's victory in Virginia

In November 2021, Tulsi Gabbard celebrated the victory of Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin in the Virginia Gubernatorial election over Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe.

February 11, 2022: Suggestion to prevent war with Russia

On February 11, 2022, during the build-up to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Tulsi Gabbard suggested President Biden could prevent war by guaranteeing Ukraine would not join NATO, blaming "warmongers" and suggesting the U.S. might want Russia to invade.

March 9, 2022: Gabbard expresses concern over unsecured bio agents in Ukraine

On March 9, 2022, Tulsi Gabbard expressed extreme concern on Tucker Carlson's show regarding unsecured dangerous bio agents in Ukraine, stating that the situation was a global crisis due to 20 to 30 labs being located in a war zone.

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

On March 13, 2022, Mitt Romney tweeted that Tulsi Gabbard was 'parroting false Russian propaganda' by making bogus claims about a US funded covert biological weapons program in Ukraine, claiming her lies could cost lives.

April 2022: Support for Florida's Parental Rights Bill

In April 2022, Tulsi Gabbard expressed support for Florida's Parental Rights Bill on Hannity, stating that it did not go far enough in that it only covered grades K through 3, while Gabbard believed it should have continued all the way through twelfth grade.

October 11, 2022: Announcement of departure from the Democratic Party

On October 11, 2022, Tulsi Gabbard announced on Twitter that she was leaving the Democratic Party, accusing its leadership of "cowardly wokeness, anti-white racism, [being] hostile to people of faith and spirituality, and dragging us closer to nuclear war".

2022: Endorsement of Florida Parental Rights in Education Act

In 2022, Tulsi Gabbard endorsed the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act, which restricts discussions on sexual orientation and gender identity in Florida public schools. She stated that the bill prevents the indoctrination of "woke sexual values" in schools and suggested it should apply to all grades.

August 30, 2024: Dana Milbank criticizes Gabbard for endorsing Russian propaganda

On August 30, 2024, Dana Milbank wrote in a Washington Post op-ed that Tulsi Gabbard had endorsed Russian propaganda by falsely claiming the United States was funding biological laboratories in Ukraine.

2024: No evidence found linking Gabbard to Russian agencies

In 2024, despite accusations of sympathetic foreign policy positions towards Russia, the New York Times reported that no evidence has emerged for a connection between Tulsi Gabbard to any Russian agencies.

February 11, 2025: Senator Jack Reed references Romney's tweet criticizing Gabbard's claims about Ukraine

On February 11, 2025, during Senate consideration of Gabbard's nomination for DNI, Senator Jack Reed referenced Mitt Romney's tweet where Romney accused Gabbard of 'parroting false Russian propaganda'.

March 2025: Involvement in Signal Group Chat Leak

In March 2025, Tulsi Gabbard was involved in a Signal group chat leak related to US attacks in Yemen. She admitted sharing information with journalist Jeffrey Goldberg but claimed it was not classified.

June 2025: Clarification on Iran's nuclear weapon stance

In June 2025, Tulsi Gabbard clarified her position on Iran's nuclear weapons, agreeing with President Trump that Iran could build a nuclear weapon in weeks. She blamed the media for misrepresenting her March testimony.