What to know about Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's pick for national intelligence director

• After endorsing Trump in August, Gabbard became one of his campaign surrogates and joined his transition team.
• Now, she could oversee 18 agencies, including the CIA and FBI, with a combined $76 billion budget, the Washington Post reported. Democrats have lambasted her nomination.
• Trump has long been suspicious of U.S. intelligence agencies, recently saying, "We will clean out all of the corrupt actors in our national security and intelligence apparatus, and there are plenty of them."

Here's what to know about Gabbard.

Gabbard's background and military career

Gabbard was born in American Samoa. Her mother served on the Hawaii State Board of Education and her father is a Democratic Hawaii state senator.

• She rose to prominence in the Hawaii state legislature in 2002, when she became the youngest person elected to its House of Representatives at 21.
• She later enlisted in the Hawaii Army National Guard and stepped down from public office to deploy in the Iraq War, serving in a field medical unit on a 12-month tour.
• After completing officer candidate school, Gabbard volunteered to deploy to Kuwait in 2009. She worked as a military police platoon leader and as a trainer for the Kuwait National Guard's counterterrorism unit.

Gabbard's record in Congress

Gabbard served four terms in Congress as a Democrat representing Hawaii.

• In 2012, she was given a speaking slot at the Democratic National Convention, where she applauded the Obamas and Bidens as the "strongest advocates our military families could ever have."
• She made history as the first practicing Hindu elected to Congress, taking her oath of office on the Bhagavad-Gita As It Is.
• In 2013, she was elected vice chair of the Democratic National Committee.

Driving the news: Once a rising Democratic star, Gabbard became known for defying her party.

• She voted "present" on Trump's 2019 impeachment against the overwhelming majority of her party.
• Gabbard also sided with congressional Republicans on a bill that would place "extreme vetting" measures on Iraqi and Syrian refugees.
• Breaking with her caucus earned her criticism from some, while others praised her for crossing the aisle.
• "I think she has an opportunity to be a great leader," former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, then the Republican majority leader and a frequent workout partner of Gabbard's, told the New York Times in 2015.

Gabbard's Syria visit and advocacy

While in office, Gabbard strongly opposed U.S. military intervention to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the country's civil war.

• She introduced legislation to prohibit the use of U.S. funds to support opposition groups in 2015 — before a controversial visit she took to the country shortly before Trump's first inauguration.

Zoom in: In 2017, Gabbard left for what she called a "fact-finding mission" in Syria to meet with people impacted by the civil war.

• She secretly met with Assad, the Russia-and Iran-backed leader who has been accused of killing thousands and using chemical weapons against civilians. The Honolulu Civil Beat reported she met with him twice.
• She told CNN in 2019 that she had no regrets about the meeting, which drew bipartisan condemnation.

• Asked about the visit on MSNBC that same year, she said Assad is "not the enemy of the United States because Syria does not pose a direct threat to the United States."

Friction point: She criticized Trump for a 2017 strike he authorized on Syria, calling it "dangerous, rash and unconstitutional."

Gabbard's failed presidential campaign

Gabbard did not seek re-election to Congress in order to pursue the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.

• She kicked off her campaign in Hawaii, where she said she would "bring a soldier's values and principles to the White House—restoring the values of dignity, honor, and respect to the presidency."

Flashback: She was one of the final candidates to bow out of the 2020 primary and eventually endorse President Biden.

• Her meeting with Assad haunted her campaign, with critics labeling her a Russian asset.
• Her run for the White House also drew criticism over her past views on the LGBTQ+ community.
• When she was young, she worked for her father's anti-LGBTQ organization — work she touted when running for office in 2002. She later apologized, saying her views at the time were due to her conservative upbringing.

Why Gabbard left the Democratic party

After her failed presidential bid, Gabbard said the Democratic party had come "under the complete control of an elitist cabal of warmongers driven by cowardly wokeness."

• She accused the party of dividing the country by "radicalizing every issue" and stoking "anti-white racism" in a video message announcing her decision to leave the party.
• Since then, she has found a haven in conservative media. She appears frequently on Fox News.
• She also published a book this year titled "For Love of Country: Leave the Democrat Party Behind."

In October, she announced she was officially joining the Republican party.

Go deeper: Trump administration 2.0: Tracking his Cabinet, White House picks