Victory! Tulsi Gabbard drops anti-Israel Daniel Davis as Deputy Director

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has decided not to appoint the strongly anti-Israel Daniel Davis as her deputy, according to a report yesterday (Wednesday) in the New York Times.

Channel 14 reporter Tamir Morag broke the original story first, saying on X that: "The administration has made a fundamental decision to appoint Daniel Davis as Deputy Director of National Intelligence, a position responsible for the president’s daily intelligence briefings. Davis is known for his strongly anti-Israel views, and some even argue that he is outright antisemitic.

"He has a long history of problematic statements and tweets. Among other things, he wrote: “Where is our moral outrage at the Israeli government, which continues to kill children and other civilians without remorse or military necessity? Where is even a tiny drop of concern for *Christians*, who are also being killed in Gaza and the West Bank?”

"To Senator Ted Cruz, one of Israel’s strongest supporters in Washington, he wrote: “We all know the truth—that you want to suppress any protest directed against the policies of Netanyahu’s government.” This is only a partial list."

Morag explained that, despite the Trump administration's open admiration for Jews and Israel, the administration still has a powerful libertarian-isolationist wing:

"It is worth noting not only the administration’s unwavering support for Israel regarding Gaza, but also its unprecedented efforts against antisemitism in the U.S., particularly on American college campuses. Well, all of this is true—but President Trump leads a broad and diverse political coalition, which also includes a libertarian faction. This faction advocates for American isolationism and includes some prominent anti-Israel figures. While it is secondary in importance to the pro-Israel neoconservative wing, it still holds influence.

"Accordingly, while almost all senior appointments in the administration are pro-Israel, the White House Personnel Office is headed by a man named Sergio Gor, who belongs to the isolationist faction and is attempting to push through anti-Israel appointments.

"Gor, a former adviser to Senator Rand Paul, is closely tied to Charles Koch, a multi-billionaire from Wichita, Kansas, who supports Trump and largely funds the libertarian-isolationist wing of the Republican Party. "

Morag's report and others like it led to a great deal of consternation within the pro-Israel right and the Trump administration, ultimately leading to the dovish Gabbard to pull the appointment.

Upon hearing the news, Morag posted "happy to help," with a winking smile emoji.