Tulsi Gabbard's confirmation hearing for Director of National Intelligence was marked by concerns from both Democrats and Republicans about her past actions and statements. Senators questioned her support for Edward Snowden, her skepticism of U.S. intelligence assessments, and her comments regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Tulsi Gabbard , President Donald Trump’s nominee to be Director of National Intelligence, testifies at her confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee in Washington, DC, on January 30, 2025.f the Senate votes to confirm Tulsi Gabbard as President Donald Trump’s Director of National Intelligence, she will be the person briefing him each day on the nation’s most closely held secrets.
In 2013, Snowden fled the country after removing 1.5 million classified documents about military and intelligence programs, initially traveling to Hong Kong to share some of the files with journalists and eventually seeking asylum in Russia. Snowden leaked thousands of documents that revealed a broad collection of American telephone records by the U.S. government and other secret programs, prompting a national debate about civil liberties. Gabbard has called Snowden “brave.
A bipartisan House intelligence committee investigation concluded in 2016 that Snowden’s theft caused “tremendous damage” to national security and quoted a Russian official saying Snowden did share intelligence with Moscow. Republican Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma asked Gabbard if Snowden was “a traitor” when he leaked intelligence and fled to Russia. “Senator, I’m focused on the future and how we can prevent something like this from happening again,” Gabbard said.
Young told Gabbard that Snowden was likely watching the hearing. Snowden himself weighed in on Thursday before Gabbard met with Senators, writing on X that Gabbard “will be required to disown all prior support for whistleblowers as a condition of confirmation.” Snowden wryly said he encouraged her to do so and to tell Senators that he “harmed national security and the sweet, soft feelings of staff.
Tulsi Gabbard Confirmation Hearing Director Of National Intelligence Edward Snowden Russia Ukraine
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