Donald Trump’s pick to oversee 18 intelligence agencies with a $100 billion spy budget is facing renewed scrutiny over an unannounced trip to Syria in 2017 where she met with the now-deposed dictator twice.

Tulsi Gabbard, former U.S. Congresswoman, faced widespread criticism for meeting with the ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2017. Critics questioned her stance on Syria’s ongoing civil war, while Gabbard defended the meeting as part of her effort to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict.