Director of National Intelligence Nominee Tulsi Gabbard’s Views on Edward Snowden Spark Tensions with Republicans
Tensions ran high during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Thursday as Director of National Intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard was pressed by Republican senators to denounce Edward Snowden as a “traitor” and acknowledge that his theft of classified documents harmed U.S. national security.
Gabbard refused to do so, instead focusing on preventing similar future incidents. This lack of commitment has raised alarm among Republican senators, who will be voting on her nomination in the coming weeks.
“I was surprised by her response,” said Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), who had previously expressed support for Gabbard’s nomination. “It’s not a hard question to answer. When you steal a million pages of top-secret documents and hand them over to the Russians, that’s a traitorous act.”
Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) also expressed frustration with Gabbard’s answers, saying that her response to whether Snowden’s actions harmed national security was “notable” and that he harmed American lives through his actions.
Gabbard’s views on Snowden’s actions, including her past support for pardoning him, have raised concerns among Republicans. Sen. John Young (R-Ind.) asked her if she would acknowledge that Snowden’s actions were a betrayal of the American people, to which she responded by repeating that she is focused on the future and preventing similar incidents.
The tension was palpable, with some Republicans saying they are losing confidence in Gabbard’s nomination. “There are a lot of conversations going on about her fitness to lead the nation’s intelligence community,” said a Republican senator who requested anonymity.
However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) was more optimistic, saying that Gabbard did well during the hearing, but acknowledged that some senators, like Lankford and Young, were not pleased with her responses. Ultimately, her fate will be decided by the full Senate, where her confirmation is not guaranteed.