Washington, Jan 30 (PTI) Allegations of any foreign country directing assassinations against Americans is a grave concern and must be investigated, Tulsi Gabbard, who has been picked by President Donald Trump to oversee spy agencies, told lawmakers on Thursday.

Gabbard, 43, said this during her confirmation hearing for the position of Director of National Intelligence which oversees all the intelligence agencies of the US government, including the CIA and the FBI.

She was responding to a question on a federal indictment which alleged that an “Indian government employee” directed an assassination attempt against a Sikh activist, who is a US citizen, in New York City in the spring of 2023, a plot foiled by US law enforcement.

“Separately, Canadian officials have accused the Indian government of assassinating a Canadian citizen and Sikh activist, Hardeep Singh Niijar, in Canada in June 2023. What are your views on these allegations that the Indian government is targeting Sikh activists in Canada and the United States? "Given these allegations, what are your views on the US-India bilateral relationship, including security cooperation between the US and India,” she was asked in a written question before the hearing.

Her written answers were tabled before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence during the confirmation hearing.

“India is a vital economic and security partner in the Indo Pacific. Credible allegations of any foreign country directing assassinations against US citizens, especially on American soil, is a grave concern and must be investigated,” she said.

“The results of the investigation and intelligence must be provided to the president and policymakers so they can make the best informed decisions related to the alleged incident as well as the bilateral relationship,” Gabbard said.

Describing the US-China relationship as complex and multifaceted encompassing military, economic, technological and ideological dimensions that create challenges, threats, and opportunities to advance US interests and global stability, she said one of the most concerning threats is China’s recent Salt Typhoon cyberattack and recent hacking of the Treasury Department.

“Both highlight the vulnerabilities in our critical infrastructure that must be urgently addressed, as well as China’s sophisticated cyber capabilities and efforts to gather sensitive government data,” she said.

In her opening statement, Gabbard said for too long, faulty, inadequate or weaponised intelligence have led to costly failures and the undermining of US national security and God-given freedoms enshrined in the Constitution.

“The most obvious example is our invasion of Iraq based upon a total fabrication or complete failure of 'intelligence'. This disastrous decision led to the deaths of tens of thousands of American soldiers and millions of people in the Middle East; mass migration, destabilisation, and undermining of the security and stability of our European allies; the rise of ISIS, strengthening of al-Qaeda and other Islamist Jihadist groups, and strengthening Iran,” she said.

Gabbard alleged that under John Brennan’s leadership, the CIA abused its power to spy on Congress to dodge oversight, lied about doing it until he was caught — yet was never held responsible. “Under Biden, the FBI abused its power for political reasons to surveil Catholics who attend traditional Latin mass, labelling them 'radical traditionalist Catholics'. Just 24 hours after I criticised Kamala Harris and her nomination, I was placed on a secret domestic terror watch list called Quiet Skies,” she said.

Responding to her critics, Gabbard said she has no love for Assad or any dictator. “I just hate al-Qaeda. I hate that our leaders cozy up to Islamist extremists, calling them 'rebels', as Jake Sullivan said to Hillary Clinton: 'al-Qaeda is on our side in Syria'.” "Syria is now controlled by al-Qaeda offshoot HTS, led by an Islamist Jihadist who danced in the streets on 9/11, and who was responsible for the killing of many American soldiers,” she said. PTI LKJ GSP GSP