“Gaetz Is a Smokescreen”: Strategist Warns Tulsi Gabbard Is the Real Danger

As former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) faces scandals tied to an ethics report investigating allegations of child sex trafficking and other offenses, Republicans are grappling with whether to make the findings public ahead of his confirmation hearings for attorney general. But presidential strategist Ashley Etienne believes the public’s attention should be focused on an even more concerning nominee: former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.

Speaking with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Etienne criticized Trump’s decision to nominate Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence, citing her history of doubting U.S. intelligence and amplifying propaganda from foreign dictators. “Why are we even debating this?” Etienne asked. “If you’re not guilty, release it. But here’s the — here’s the other way I see it for the speaker to weigh in on this — and we were just talking about this, I’ve worked for a speaker before.

It’s very rare for a speaker to get involved in the Ethics Committee at all in their deliberations, to say anything. So for the speaker to weigh in and try to bury a report like this, to me, suggests the depth of the moral and ethical bankruptcy of the Republican Party at this point. And that should concern all of us.”

Etienne suggested Gaetz’s nomination is a calculated distraction. “I think Gaetz is a smokescreen,” she said. “I think he’s a distraction from the real dangerous pick. Like Tulsi Gabbard. You know, Tulsi Gabbard is someone who people widely accepted on both sides of the aisle is compromised. She pals around with terrorists and dictators. She’s a Putin sympathizer and she’s going to be in charge of America’s secrets. That should concern us all.”

Etienne further speculated that Gaetz might be the nominee Republicans are willing to lose. “You always lose one nominee,” she noted. “But I would advise the Democratic Party: keep your eye on Tulsi Gabbard.” She urged the media to scrutinize Gabbard’s track record as her confirmation hearings approach. “I would also advise you, Jake, and others, to focus on her.

And let’s elevate what we know about her and how she’s not beyond reproach when it comes to these confirmation hearings.” Etienne’s comments highlight broader concerns about Trump’s Cabinet choices and the implications they could have for U.S. national security, particularly as Gabbard’s nomination raises red flags across the political spectrum.