Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard quietly appointed William Ruger, who has voiced support for diplomatic approaches to Iran, to a top post in the agency managing intelligence briefings to President Donald Trump, Axios reported Friday.
Ruger is listed as acting deputy director of national intelligence for mission integration on the ODNI website. In addition to having a reputation as an Iran dove, Ruger is also a former vice president at the Charles Koch Institute, which was a hiring no-no of Trump's from before inauguration day.
"Donald Trump said no Koch people should serve and at some point he's going to realize that his administration has become littered with them," a GOP congressional official told Axios.
Gabbard landed on Ruger after removing her first choice, retired Army Lt. Col. Daniel Davis, from consideration last month amid staunch opposition from pro-Israel advocates who slammed his candidacy for being a critic of Israel, according to the report. Jewish Insider called Davis an "anti-Israel commentator."
However, Ruger has connections to Koch think tanks that have been critical of military action against Iran, pushed back on regime change and promoted restraint in the Middle East and elsewhere, Axios reported.
"Will is a solid choice by DNI Gabbard," Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., told Axios in a statement. "He has honorably served our country and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table. This is the kind of principled leadership we need more of in Washington."
Trump in a social media post on Jan. 15 instructed not to recommend for hires a sundry list of people not welcome to the Trump administration, including people endorsed by "Americans for No Prosperity (headed by Charles Koch)."
"President Trump said no Koch people. Koch openly opposed the Trump election and opposed the President's policies They've an ongoing suit against the administration. And Koch, a radical libertarian, and Soros, a radical leftist, are working together on foreign policy, which is decidedly anti-American in my view," conservative radio host Mark Levin posted to X on Friday.
Ruger was also the president for the Institute of Economic Research, "which is trashing Trump on tariffs," Punchbowl News reported.
However, Ruger was nominated by Trump in September 2020 to be his ambassador to Afghanistan but the Senate ran out of time on his confirmation.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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