The officials who served in both Republican and Democratic administrations said Gabbard’s past actions “call into question her ability to deliver unbiased intelligence briefings to the President, Congress, and the entire national security apparatus.”

The group urged incoming Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and current Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to hold closed briefings to scrutinize her nomination fully.

“Senate committees should consider in closed sessions all information available to the U.S. government when considering Ms. Gabbard’s qualifications to manage our country’s intelligence agencies and, more importantly, the protection of our intelligence sources and methods,” the letter said.

The letter comes as Trump’s team announced Tuesday that it had entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Justice Department, paving the way for FBI background checks. The MOU comes after pressure from bipartisan lawmakers who aired concerns after it appeared that some appointees would skip the process.

The document mentions Gabbard’s travel to Syria in 2017, where she met President Bashar al-Assad, a Russian ally, and ultimately aligned herself with Russian and Syrian officials. At that time, she was at odds with the Obama administration in calling for the end of support for Syria’s opposition movement against Assad’s rule.

It also notes her statements on wars in Ukraine and the Middle East differ from United States policy and have mimicked Russian talking points.

“Ms. Gabbard’s past statements and actions raise serious red flags and indicate significant gaps in knowledge and experience on these issues. I encourage the Senate to carefully weigh her suitability for this critical role,” said Rose Gottemoeller, former deputy secretary general of NATO, who signed the letter.

The former Democratic congresswoman-turned-Republican nominee for a key Trump administration role served in the Hawaii Army National Guard and was deployed to Iraq with a medical unit. During her career in the House from 2013 to 2021, she was known for her anti-interventionist politics and populist economics.

The letter goes on to say that Gabbard if confirmed, “would be the least experienced director of national intelligence since the position was created,” pointing out that many previous directors had executive branch experience working on intelligence matters or served on an intelligence panel.

“The Senate must carefully evaluate whether Ms. Gabbard is equipped to effectively oversee an organizational structure as unique and large as the National Intelligence Program and also the effect of her holding this position on the willingness of our closest allies to share intelligence with the U.S.,” the letter said.

Alexa Henning, a spokeswoman for Gabbard on the Trump transition team on Thursday called the letter an “unfounded attack” and a “partisan weapon.”

“This is a perfect example of why President Trump chose Tulsi Gabbard for this position. These unfounded attacks are from the same geniuses who have blood on their hands from decades of faulty ‘intelligence,’ including the non-existent weapons of mass destruction,” Henning said in a statement provided to the Washington Examiner.

“These intel officials continue to use classification as a partisan weapon to smear and imply things about their political enemy without putting the facts out,” she added.