Tulsi Gabbard withdraws Daniel Davis’s appointment for senior intelligence role over Israel criticism

Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence, decided not to proceed with the appointment of Daniel Davis to a top intelligence position after facing significant opposition within President Trump's coalition, according to a New York Times report.
Davis, a senior fellow at the Defence Priorities think tank, was undergoing a background check to become the Deputy Director for Mission Integration. This critical role oversees the President’s Daily Brief, an intelligence compendium presented to the White House.
Davis, who has been openly critical of US military intervention overseas, particularly in the Middle East, faced backlash for his criticism of Israel’s response to the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.
According to The New York Times, his views on the Gaza conflict, especially his skepticism of US support for Israel’s military actions, sparked fierce criticism from conservative members of the administration and Congress. One senior administration official told the New York Times, “Given the backlash, Gabbard reconsidered her choice” and ultimately withdrew the appointment.
Davis had publicly condemned Israel’s military actions in Gaza, describing the assault as a "convenient" excuse for "wanton destruction" and criticizing US support for the war as a “stain on our character as a nation", according to American digital news platform POLITICO.
Although the administration had not officially confirmed Davis’s appointment, the news was leaked by Virginia Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee. Warner, along with others, voiced strong objections to Davis’s views, with Warner calling him “utterly unqualified” for any intelligence analysis role, particularly one as important as Deputy DNI, POLITICO reported.
The planned appointment was first reported by Jewish Insider earlier in the day, which sparked a wave of criticism from lawmakers and pro-Israel advocates, including Fox News host Mark Levin, who called the decision “bizarre” and “hard to understand,” and the Anti-Defamation League, which labelled it “extremely dangerous.”
Following the backlash, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence issued a statement on social media denying an earlier report by POLITICO regarding the appointment but did not provide further details. Shortly after, it was confirmed that Davis had been pulled from consideration.
The Anti-Defamation League also condemned Davis’s potential appointment, calling it “extremely dangerous” in light of his stance on Israel and his minimization of Hamas’s attack. In a statement, the group said Davis's positions could undermine American support for Israel at a time of heightened conflict, New York Times reported.
Conservative lawmakers were also vocal in their opposition, with some quietly lobbying to prevent the nomination, fearing that Davis’s views could weaken US relations with Israel.
Marc Polymeropoulos, a former CIA officer, expressed concerns about Davis's qualifications, saying his "overt criticism of Israel and total opposition to any military action against Iran seems to run counter to current administration policy".
Supporters of Davis defended his record, emphasizing that his critiques were not rooted in antisemitism but in a broader scepticism of military interventions that do not directly serve US interests. “He has consistently spoken out against military action when it’s not in America’s national interest,” one of his allies explained.
The controversy sheds light on the emerging fault lines within the Trump administration over foreign policy, particularly regarding Israel and US military involvement in the Middle East.
While more hawkish figures like Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Michael Waltz advocate for strong support of Israel, figures like Gabbard and Davis have pushed for a more restrained approach.