President-elect Donald Trump has tapped former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to be the next director of national intelligence, a powerful position that sits atop the nation's spy agencies and acts as the president's top intelligence adviser.

In a statement announcing her selection, Trump said that Gabbard would bring a “a fearless spirit” to the intelligence agencies and secure “peace through strength.” Others are not so sure. Gabbard, a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve who served in Iraq,

Tulsi Gabbard - a former Democratic congresswoman who joined the Republican Party to back Donald Trump - is the president-elect's pick for director of national intelligence. The wide-ranging role would mean she oversees US intelligence agencies like the CIA, FBI and the National Security Agency (NSA), which focuses on intelligence gathering.