During the night, a "mini-drama" happened in the Trump administration and conservative groups as DNI Tusli Gabbard wanted to appoint Daniel Davis as her second-in-command.
The DNI has since then relented, but this mini-drama may have even more dramatic results as Gabbard herself comes under scrutiny.
So - who exactly is Daniel Davis?
Daniel Davis, a senior fellow at the isolationist Defense Priorities think tank, has been appointed as deputy director of national intelligence, according to three sources familiar with the selection. Davis, a retired military officer with a long record of criticizing U.S. and Israeli policy, has described Washington’s support for Israel’s war in Gaza as both a moral and strategic mistake.
A HISTORY OF OPPOSITION TO U.S. AND ISRAELI POLICY
Davis has consistently opposed military action against Iran, arguing that it is U.S. and Israeli policies that are pushing Iran toward nuclear development. He has rejected the idea that Iran poses a serious threat to the U.S., calling it a “marginal regional power,” and has discouraged strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
His appointment as deputy DNI for mission integration—one of the top roles within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) under DNI Tulsi Gabbard—places him in a key advisory position on intelligence matters. This role does not require Senate confirmation.
TIES TO ISOLATIONIST AND ANTI-ISRAEL CIRCLES
Davis joins a growing number of appointees in national security positions who hold fringe views on Israel and Middle East policy. Other alumni of Defense Priorities, such as Michael DiMino (Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East) and Dan Caldwell (Pentagon senior advisor), have also taken influential positions.
CRITICISM OF ISRAEL AND U.S. POLICY
As recently as January 12, Davis condemned U.S. support for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza:
“On a practical level, we give away enormous leverage and credibility globally to hold *anyone* accountable for acts of w[a]nton violence, bc we not merely turn a blind eye to it, we cheer it on and supply the means to do more.”
He has accused Israel of ethnic cleansing in Gaza, likened the region to a “prison”, and asserted that the conflict did not begin with Hamas’ October 7, 2023, massacre, but was part of a broader history of Israeli actions against Palestinians.
Davis has also promoted unverified casualty figures from Gaza, dismissing Western skepticism of statistics from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry.
CONTROVERSIAL VIEWS ON OCTOBER 7 AND U.S.-ISRAEL RELATIONS
In a January YouTube episode, Davis described the October 7 attack as “in some regards convenient” for Israel, implying that it provided a pretext for military operations in Gaza. He has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of manipulating U.S. policy, saying that Netanyahu is “playing the U.S. like a cheap fiddle.”
Davis criticized incoming Trump administration officials for supporting Israel, expressing concern over their alignment with Israeli positions. He has also attacked U.S. lawmakers, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), for efforts to counter antisemitic protests on college campuses, calling such measures “as un-American as anything has ever been done.”
OPPOSITION TO MILITARY ACTION AGAINST IRAN
Davis has strongly opposed Israeli and U.S. military operations against Iran, arguing that such actions escalate tensions unnecessarily. He dismissed the threat of an Iranian nuclear program, stating:
“Iran is not a threat to the United States. The only way that Iran can be a real problem for the U.S. is if we get stupider and push them beyond a point where they feel like their only hope of self-defense… is to get a nuclear weapon.”
Following an Israeli strike on an Iranian military facility in Syria in 2024, Davis was outraged at what he called a reckless provocation. After Iran retaliated with a missile attack on Israel in April 2024, he refused to condemn Iran, arguing that the Israeli strike had been “illegal” and questioning why world leaders did not criticize Israel’s actions.
Davis has further advocated for a complete U.S. military withdrawal from Syria, dismissed the threat posed by Hezbollah, and opposed Israeli operations in Lebanon, despite their success in crippling Hezbollah’s leadership.
ALIGNMENT WITH ANTI-ISRAEL AND PRO-RUSSIAN FIGURES
Davis frequently hosts guests with anti-Israel and controversial foreign policy stances on his YouTube show, “Daniel Davis Deep Dive.”
His guests have included:
- John Mearsheimer, co-author of *The Israel Lobby*, a book that has been criticized for antisemitic tropes about Jewish influence in U.S. policy.
- George Galloway, a former British MP known for defending Hamas and espousing virulent anti-Israel views.
- Col. Douglas Macgregor, who has been accused of antisemitic rhetoric and is a staunch advocate for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
- Ted Postol, an MIT professor who has repeatedly challenged evidence of Syrian regime chemical attacks.