Franklin Graham Endorses Tulsi Gabbard for DNI Despite Christian Backlash
Evangelist Franklin Graham endorsed Tulsi Gabbard to be director of national intelligence (DNI) on Monday despite concerns from other Christians regarding her connections to Hindu nationalists.
"Tomorrow, the Senate Intelligence Committee is scheduled to vote on @TulsiGabbard's nomination as the Director of National Intelligence. I've known Tulsi for many years and have a deep respect for her," Graham, president of Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham Association, wrote on X Monday evening.
"I attended her confirmation hearing last week. I've always found her to be honest, incredibly smart, and a tough soldier," he continued. "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. Would you join me in praying that God will strengthen her, guide her, and give her favor?"
Tomorrow the Senate Intelligence Committee is scheduled to vote on @TulsiGabbard’s nomination as the Director of National Intelligence. 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… pic.twitter.com/pAM1pkeSep
— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) February 4, 2025
Gabbard, a former Democratic Congresswoman turned Republican, won the approval of the Senate Intelligence Committee in a 9-8 vote and now awaits a final vote on the Senate floor.
She previously served in Congress as a representative from Hawaii from 2013 to 2021 and was also the first native Samoan and practicing Hindu elected to Congress. Gabbard was also vice chair of the Democratic National Committee (2013 to 2016) and has been a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve since 2021.
According to The Christian Post, Tulsi's nomination for Director of National Intelligence raised concerns from Christian organizations and faith leaders due to her alleged ties to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Hindu nationalists who persecute Christians and other religious minorities in India.
In a statement last November, the nonprofit Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations (FIACONA) called for Gabbard's nomination to be blocked, claiming she "represents a direct threat to our country's national security."
FIACONA alleged that Gabbard profited financially and politically from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is the ruling party of Modi and the far-right paramilitary the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
"Since the beginning of her political career in the 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."
The group noted that Modi is a lifelong member of the RSS and that Gabbard has accepted "hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign donations from leaders" of Hindu nationalist organizations during her time in Congress.
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 stated.
The group added that Gabbard has "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 statement continued.
In a recent op-ed for The Christian Post, Bryan Nerren, a former senior pastor at International House of Prayer Ministries who was imprisoned for over seven months in India under the Modi regime, mirrored similar concerns.
"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."
According to Open Doors, India is ranked as the 11th-worst country in the world when it comes to the persecution of Christians. As reported by The United Christian Forum, there were roughly 834 cases of violence and threats against Christians in India in 2024, a sharp increase from 127 incidents in 2014.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Kevin Dietsch/Staff
Originally published February 05, 2025.
