'Putin and Assad got their pick': Ex-Pence aide despairs over Trump's Cabinet picks

A former chief of staff to former Vice President Mike Pence attacked one of Donald Trump's picks for his Cabinet as being the dream candidate for authoritarian leaders.

Marc Short told MSNBC that there are several Cabinet appointees that conservatives are excited about, but former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI), who became an independent in 2022, isn't one of them.

Trump named Gabbard as his pick for Director of National Intelligence, prompting outrage among national security experts.

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"I think there are several picks that conservatives can celebrate," said Short. "At OMB, Doug Burgum, Chris Wright at Energy, [Sen. Marco] Rubio (R-FL) as secretary of state, those are things conservatives get excited about."

Then there are the others.

"I think that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and [Syrian President Bashar] al-Assad got their pick at DNI."

Gabbard has been accused of parroting Russian propaganda and having troubling connections to the Kremlin. She met with al-Assad, who is backed by Russia, and has expressed skepticism about Russian interference in U.S. elections.

See the conversation below or at the link here.

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