Republicans at Confirmation Hearing Press Gabbard on Defense of Edward Snowden

The nominee for director of national intelligence, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, faced intense scrutiny for her past defenses of Syria’s former leader, President Assad, and the infamous whistleblower Edward Snowden, during a bipartisan grilling from members of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Ms. Gabbard was chosen to lead America’s intelligence services after leaving the Democratic Party to join the GOP and support President Trump’s 2024 bid. She represented Hawaii in the House for eight years while serving concurrently in the Army Reserve before launching her own 2020 presidential campaign. She is considered one of the most imperiled of Mr. Trump’s Cabinet nominees, along with the health and human services secretary choice, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Multiple senators in the Republican majority have so far failed to offer support for Ms. Gabbard’s nomination, and based on how Thursday’s confirmation hearing went, it’s clear those lawmakers still have some concerns. Under questioning from Senator Young, who is seen as a critical swing vote on her nomination, Ms. Gabbard did not give an affirmative answer when asked if she believed Mr. Snowden damaged national security by leaking classified information to the press about America’s intelligence-gathering operations. Mr. Snowden’s decision to give hundreds of thousands of documents to members of the press related to intelligence-gathering operations and military capabilities is considered one of the most serious breaches of national security in history. Since the leak, Ms. Gabbard has been advocating for leniency for Mr. Snowden, going so far as to introduce legislation in the House in 2020 calling on the government to drop all charges against him. “Edward Snowden broke the law and I do not agree with how he chose to release information, and the extent of the information and the intelligence that he released,” Ms. Gabbard told Mr. Young. “It’s notable you didn’t say, ‘yes, he clearly hurt, in various ways, our national security,’” Mr. Young noted in response. Another Republican who is holding his cards close to his chest on this nomination, Senator Lankford, similarly raised concerns about Ms. Gabbard’s past praise for Mr. Snowden. “This is a big deal to everybody here because it’s also a big deal to everybody that you’ll oversee in this role,” the lawmaker said. “Was Edward Snowden a traitor?” he asked. Ms. Gabbard’s response to Mr. Lankford — like her response to Mr. Young — was not explicit. “I’m committed, if I’m confirmed as director of national intelligence, to join you in making sure that there is no future Snowden-type leak,” she said. Mr. Lankford pressed her again, asking point-blank again: “Was he a traitor at the time when he took America’s secrets, released them in public, and ran to China and became a Russian citizen?”Again, Ms. Gabbard dodged. “Senator, I’m focused on the future and how we can prevent something like this from happening again.”In her opening statement, Ms. Gabbard issued a fierce defense of herself and her record, saying that Democrats had “I want to warn the American people watching at home: You will hear lies and smears that challenge my loyalty to and love for our country. Those who oppose my nomination imply that I am loyal to something or someone other than God, my own conscience, and the Constitution of the United States,” Ms. Gabbard said. “They used the same tactic against President Trump and failed. The American people elected President Trump with a decisive victory and mandate for change.”

Republicans at Confirmation Hearing Press Gabbard on Defense of Edward Snowden

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