Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is warning that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s latest crackdown on opposition could foreshadow similar abuses of power in the US. She revealed that Zelensky recently banned another political party that challenged his leadership, using Ukraine’s legal system to confiscate its members’ assets.
Gabbard explained that this move follows a pattern Zelensky established in 2022, when he began dissolving opposition parties, shutting down critical media outlets, and placing the country’s main television networks under state control. She also noted that he has now extended his rule beyond his official term by canceling elections under martial law.
Zelensky’s defenders claim that elections cannot be held in wartime, but Gabbard rejected that argument as dangerous. She warned that accepting such a rationale could allow US leaders to justify similar actions. With the US already engaged in conflicts with Russia and China, she said Americans should not be naive about how this precedent might be used.
She pointed to what she described as political suppression already happening in the US, particularly the Department of Justice’s legal actions against President Donald Trump and other figures who challenge the political establishment. She argued that the same forces rationalizing Zelensky’s actions are attempting to condition Americans to accept similar measures at home.
As Ukraine continues to receive billions in US taxpayer funding, Gabbard questioned why there is little scrutiny of its government’s decision to suspend democratic processes. She urged Americans to pay attention before similar measures are used to undermine political opposition in their own country.
