Tulsi Gabbard, President Trump's nominee to serve as the Director of National Intelligence, pledged to ensure "politics, biases, or personal views are checked at the door" should she be confirmed. Her remarks came during testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee, whose members pressed the nominee on several topics related to her previous comments on Edward Snowden, a former National Security Agency intelligence contractor who leaked highly sensitive information to adversaries of the United States. She was also questioned on her trips to Syria and Lebanon that were found to be paid for by foreign entities, a topic which has since become controversial. Prior to her nomination by President Trump, she served in the U.S. House representing Hawaii from 2013-21. In 2024, Ms. Gabbard left the Democratic Party and joined the Republican Party.