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Franklin Graham backs 'tough soldier' Tulsi Gabbard for DNI as other Christians voice concern

Tulsi Gabbard, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be director of national intelligence, testifies during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Jan. 30, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
Tulsi Gabbard, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be director of national intelligence, testifies during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Jan. 30, 2025, in Washington, D.C. | Getty Images/Kevin Dietsch

Evangelist Franklin Graham endorsed Tulsi Gabbard on Monday to be director of national intelligence (DNI), despite other pastors and Christian groups voicing concern over the former Democratic congresswoman's ties to Hindu nationalists. 

"Tomorrow the Senate Intelligence Committee is scheduled to vote on Tulsi Gabbard's nomination as the Director of National Intelligence," Graham, the son of legendary evangelist Billy Graham, posted on his social media accounts Monday evening. "I've known Tulsi for many years and have a deep respect for her. I attended her confirmation hearing last week. I've always found her to be honest, incredibly smart, and a tough soldier."

"Tulsi understands the world in which we live. She's a great American who loves this country and will put America first. The confirmation process has been challenging because of her more conservative views in recent years," Graham added. "Would you join me in praying that God will strengthen her, guide her, and give her favor?"

On Tuesday, Gabbard won the approval of the Senate Intelligence Committee in a 9-8 vote along party lines. Her nomination will head to the Senate floor for final approval. 

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Gabbard served in Congress as a representative from Hawaii from 2013 to 2021. Although not of Indian origin, Gabbard was the first Hindu adherent elected to Congress. She was vice chair of the Democratic National Committee from 2013 to 2016. She has been a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve since 2021. 

Other Christians have raised concerns regarding 43-year-old Gabbard's alleged ties to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Hindu nationalists who persecute Christians and other religious minorities in India.

The nonprofit Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations (FIACONA) called for Gabbard's nomination to be blocked in a statement last November, claiming she "represents a direct threat to our country's national security."

FIACONA alleged that Modi, who assumed office in 2014, has ruled India for more than a decade through the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which it called "the political wing" of the right-wing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) paramilitary organization, which has been "implicated in multiple massacres of Indian religious minorities." India is ranked as the 11th-worst country in the world when it comes to Christian persecution, according to Open Doors

The United Christian Forum recorded 834 verified acts of violence and intimidation against Christians in India last year, compared to 127 incidents in 2014.

FIACONA claims Gabbard has profited financially and politically from the BJP-RSS.

"Since the beginning of her political career in US Congress in [2013], Gabbard was dependent on support from and association with American affiliates of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)," the organization said. "The RSS is a Hindu nationalist paramilitary in India which seeks the extermination of Indian Christians and Muslims in order to establish a Hindu nation."

FIACONA's statement, which noted Modi is a lifelong member of the RSS, listed multiple things Gabbard did during her years in the U.S. Congress that raised a red flag, such as accepting "hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign donations from leaders" of Hindu nationalist organizations.

The group contends she pursued "policy actions in U.S. Congress to torpedo attempts, early before and after Modi's election, to criticize the Hindu nationalist movement for its pogroms of religious minorities."

FIACONA also states that Gabbard "appeared as a keynote speaker at nearly a dozen Sangh Parivar events around the US, including at least two RSS-linked events in India" and "twice wore the scarf of the BJP ... at events where attendees donated to her campaign." She also "openly defended" the "religious nationalist ideology of Hindu nationalism as 'expressing pride in one's religion,'" the group adds. 

Bryan Nerren, a former senior pastor at International House of Prayer Ministries who was imprisoned for more than seven months in India under the Modi regime, echoed the concerns of FIACONA in a recent op-ed for The Christian Post.

"Over the course of Gabbard's career, she has partnered with the overseas wing of the BJP, worked to shield Modi and his party from criticism of his abominable human rights record, and relied on the financial support of domestic groups tied to Indian paramilitaries who persecute Christians," Nerren wrote.

"These ties, disturbing enough in themselves, ought to be totally discredited when it comes to a person charged with overseeing the CIA and FBI. These agencies are tasked with protecting Americans from foreign threats and the Modi regime, to put it lightly, is a major threat to Americans."

Gabbard faces a key Senate committee vote Tuesday when the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence will vote on whether to advance her nomination.

During her hearing before the committee last week, Gabbard used her opening statement to push back on what she says are "lies and smears that challenge my loyalty to and love for our country."

"Those who oppose my nomination imply that I am loyal to something or someone other than God, my own conscience, and the Constitution of the United States, accusing me of being Trump's puppet, Putin's puppet, Assad's puppet, a guru's puppet, Modi's puppet, not recognizing the absurdity of simultaneously being the puppet of five different puppet masters," she said. "They used the same tactic against President Trump and failed. The American people elected President Trump with a decisive victory and mandate for change."

Gabbard was also pressed about her meeting with former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, her previous position on FISA Section 702 and her support for NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, whom she declined to call a traitor.

After her hearing, Gabbard secured the support of Republican senators such as Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., and John Cornyn, R-Texas.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, also expressed her support for Gabbard, saying in a Monday evening statement, "After extensive consideration of her nomination, I will support Tulsi Gabbard to be the Director of National Intelligence."

Jon Brown is a reporter for The Christian Post. Send news tips to jon.brown@christianpost.com

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