Gabbard and fellow Trump pick Robert F. Kennedy Jr. watch a UFC fight with the president-elect at Madison Square Garden in New York

Donald Trump's nomination of Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence has raised questions over the politicisation of Washington's spy agencies and their subservience to the White House.

A strident opponent of US military interventionism, the former Hawaii congresswoman has roiled the intelligence community with past comments supportive of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his ally Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad.

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