Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) defended former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Director of National Intelligence, over the weekend after she has been attacked in the media over the last couple of weeks.

Schmitt made the remarks during a Sunday interview on NBC News’ “Meet The Press” with Kristen Welker when asked about remarks that former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley made about Gabbard.

“This is not a place for a Russian, Iranian, Syrian, Chinese sympathizer,” Haley said recently. “DNI has to analyze real threats. Are we comfortable with someone like that at the top of our national intelligence agencies?”

Schmitt responded: “I think it’s really interesting that anybody that has a different political view now is being cast as a Russian asset.”

“It’s totally ridiculous,” he said. “Tulsi Gabbard has served in our military. She’s served as a congresswoman from Hawaii — as a Democrat, I might add, part of this unique coalition that President Trump has put together and won and got that mandate. But I think it’s insulting. It’s a slur, quite frankly.”

“There’s no evidence that she’s an asset of another country,” he continued. “She’s served this country honorably. And, by the way, she cares deeply about our constitution and civil liberties and making sure people aren’t being targeted by these intelligence agencies.”

Schmitt said that Gabbard was “a reformer” who can come in and shake up the intelligence community.

He later added that he planned to vote for Gabbard as well as Pam Bondi for attorney general and Pete Hegseth for secretary of defense.