Tulsi Gabbard, director of national intelligence, has decided against appointing Daniel Davis to a key intelligence position following criticism from some members of President Donald Trump's orbit over Davis' views on Israel's military operations in Gaza, The New York Times reported based on information from officials familiar with the situation.
According to The New York Times, Davis, a senior fellow at the Washington think tank Defense Priorities, was undergoing background checks to become deputy director for mission integration – an influential position responsible for overseeing the President's Daily Brief, which delivers critical intelligence assessments to the White House and senior policymakers.
The proposed appointment generated significant pushback from right-wing figures, The New York Times reported. A senior administration official told The New York Times that Gabbard reconsidered her choice due to the criticism, a decision confirmed by other officials.
Davis is affiliated with Defense Priorities, a think tank funded by Charles Koch that has placed several alumni in key positions within the Trump administration, The New York Times noted. The organization has consistently expressed skepticism about US military involvement in the Middle East and has backed Trump's efforts to achieve an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine.
The canceled appointment highlights an emerging foreign policy divide within the new administration. President Trump has appointed both traditional hawks – like Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Michael Waltz – alongside officials more skeptical of American military intervention abroad, including Gabbard.
The controversy also underscores tensions among Trump supporters regarding US support for Israel. Before Davis' appointment was withdrawn, the Anti-Defamation League described the potential appointment as "extremely dangerous" in a social media statement Wednesday. The organization accused Davis of downplaying Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack and undermining American support for Israel.
Some conservative lawmakers with hawkish foreign policy views also quietly opposed the appointment, believing Davis' criticism of Israel's Gaza operations might weaken the Trump administration's support for Israel.
Marc Polymeropoulos, a former CIA operations officer and senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, criticized the potential selection, telling The New York Times that Davis' positions fell outside the Republican Party's ideological mainstream.
"His overt criticism of Israel and total opposition to any military action against Iran seems to run counter to current administration policy," Polymeropoulos said. Davis' supporters defended him, insisting there was no antisemitism or anti-Israel sentiment in his work. They characterized him as skeptical of military action that doesn't directly align with American interests and concerned about using proxy forces when the US isn't willing to deploy its own troops.
While some of Davis' criticisms of Israel diverge significantly from mainstream Republican positions, they share similarities with critiques from liberal Democrats. He has frequently spoken about Palestinian suffering in Gaza.
In stark contrast to Trump, who has repeatedly suggested Palestinians should be temporarily relocated from Gaza to allow for redevelopment into a beach resort, Davis wrote on social media in January that removing people from the territory would constitute "ethnic cleansing."
"US support for Israel's war in Gaza is a stain on our character as a nation, as a culture, that will not soon go away," Davis stated in the January social media post. Jewish Insider first reported Davis' consideration for the intelligence position.
Gabbard has made few recent public statements about the Gaza conflict. However, many of Davis' other positions – including skepticism toward American support for Ukraine and concerns about Syrian government collapse – align with her views. Davis' social media has consistently supported Gabbard's foreign policy positions.
During the Biden administration, the mission integration director conducted numerous intelligence briefings at the White House. Beth Sanner, who served as deputy director of mission integration through much of Trump's first administration, was the primary presidential briefer. Another intelligence official has assumed that responsibility in the current Trump administration, according to former officials.
In recent years, senior CIA analysts with decades of experience have typically handled the briefing duties. Robert Cardillo, the first person to hold the position, was previously a senior official at the Defense Intelligence Agency.
