Nikki Haley criticized Trump's nomination of Tulsi Gabbard for intelligence chief, labeling her a "supporter of Russia."

American politician and Republican Nikki Haley criticized Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump's nominee for Director of National Intelligence, on November 20 for her foreign policy stance, which includes a sympathetic view towards Russia and other authoritarian regimes.

Trump's selection of Gabbard, a former congresswoman from Hawaii, has raised concerns in Kyiv due to her skeptical views on Ukraine.

While speaking on her podcast, Nikki Haley Live, the former governor of South Carolina criticized Gabbard's statements and actions, particularly her criticism of NATO and her remarks about "legitimate security concerns" for Russia regarding Ukraine’s potential NATO membership.

“After Russia invaded Ukraine, Tulsi Gabbard literally blamed NATO, our Western alliance responsible for countering Russia,” Haley stated, who ran for the Republican presidential nomination but lost to Trump.

“She accused NATO of causing Putin to attack Ukraine, and the Russians and Chinese echoed her words and her interviews on Russian and Chinese television,” Haley noted.

When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Gabbard tweeted a video of her comments for Fox News regarding U.S. sanctions against Russia, suggesting that “any attempts to pressure Putin to stop the invasion of Ukraine could lead to nuclear war.”

Gabbard also claimed that NATO's eastward expansion provoked Moscow and that the U.S. was fueling a proxy war with Russia that could lead to “eternal war.”

The former congresswoman from Hawaii and Iraq war veteran has long faced scrutiny for her foreign policy views.

Haley also criticized Gabbard's foreign policy, particularly her 2017 meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which she labeled as disgusting.

She further questioned Gabbard's ability to fulfill national security duties, accusing her of having “excessive sympathy” for authoritarian regimes.

“The White House is no place for sympathizers of Russia, Iran, Syria, or China,” Haley said.

Neither Gabbard nor her team responded to Haley's comments.