After four years of former President Joe Biden’s appeasement toward the world’s most evil and dangerous dictators and failed policy that weakened America’s standing on the world stage, the United States today faces historically severe threats from around the globe. Former FBI Director Christopher Wray even admitted that terrorist threats were elevated under the Biden administration.
Biden’s weakness has emboldened dangerous regimes in China, Russia, Iran, Cuba, and North Korea to the point that evil dictators such as China’s Xi Jinping feel comfortable blatantly spying on Americans and our military by flying spy balloons over our entire country and establishing bases just 90 miles off the coast of Florida in Cuba.
China even partnered with the illegitimate, communist regime in Cuba to spy on Americans, and yet Biden rewarded the evil Diaz-Canel regime by removing Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism List in his final days. I never imagined I would see a president show such weakness in the face of clear threats to America’s security.
Thankfully, the Trump administration is bringing this weakness to an end, and Gabbard will help make that happen. I completely support her nomination and will vote to confirm her as the next director of national intelligence because she loves our country and has spent decades serving and protecting it.
Gabbard first answered the call to serve in our nation’s military in 2003 when she joined the Hawaii Army National Guard, shortly after the terrorist attacks on 9/11. She served abroad, including in Iraq and Kuwait, gaining an understanding of military operations and security challenges in the Middle East. As a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve, she received numerous awards and demonstrated remarkable leadership and commitment to our nation’s security, at times commanding thousands of service members.
Gabbard then continued to serve the nation, representing Hawaii in the House of Representatives from 2013 to 2021 and serving on the House Armed Services Committee, gaining crucial insights into national security matters.
I’ve met with Gabbard and discussed her goals as director of national intelligence. She believes in the ideals we were founded on, loves her fellow citizens, and will do what’s needed to protect our national security while upholding the rights of U.S. citizens.
Gabbard believes that we must restore trust in our government, stop spying on our own citizens like the Biden administration did, and use the intelligence community to make America great again by keeping America safe.
Importantly, she knows that failure in our intelligence agencies is a failure to keep Americans safe. The position of director of national intelligence was established to bridge intelligence gaps and improve coordination among our intelligence agencies, all sharing the same goal of keeping families safe.
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I’ve worked as governor and senator to make critical changes to ensure effective communication on local, state and federal levels, but there’s so much more work to do. I trust that Gabbard possesses the leadership skills and experience necessary to address these challenges and make the changes so desperately needed to put the U.S. intelligence community back in its rightful place: respected by our allies, feared by our enemies, and trusted by Americans.
She has put her life on the line in service to our nation, proudly represented her constituents as a member of Congress, and is ready to continue her service as director of national intelligence. I have confidence that she will work hand-in-hand with the president to serve the best interests of Americans, and I’m proud to support her swift confirmation.
Rick Scott is a U.S. senator from Florida. He served as the state’s governor from 2011 to 2019.
This article was originally published at www.washingtonexaminer.com
