President Donald Trump’s nominee for Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, faced intense scrutiny from Republican and Democratic senators during her confirmation hearing on Thursday, as lawmakers pressed her on her past praise for intelligence leaker Edward Snowden and her evolving stance on a controversial electronic surveillance program.
Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii and 2020 presidential candidate who later left the party to endorse Trump sought to reassure Republican members of the Senate Intelligence Committee while addressing her previous progressive positions. However, her responses left some senators unconvinced, raising doubts about her ability to secure the necessary votes for confirmation.
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Snowden Controversy Takes Center Stage
Gabbard’s past admiration for Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who leaked classified information in 2013, emerged as a key point of contention. During her time in Congress and as a commentator, Gabbard had hailed Snowden as a “brave whistleblower” and called for his pardon.
Under questioning from Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), Gabbard avoided directly labeling Snowden as a “traitor,” instead emphasizing her focus on preventing future leaks. “I’m focused on the future and how we can prevent something like this from happening again,” she said.
When Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) pressed her on whether she would seek a pardon for Snowden if confirmed, Gabbard firmly stated, “If confirmed as the director of national intelligence, my responsibility would be to ensure the security of our nation’s secrets, and I would not take actions to advocate for any actions related to Snowden.”
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the committee’s ranking Democrat, criticized Gabbard’s past statements, arguing that they were incompatible with the role of the nation’s top intelligence official. “What message would it send to the intelligence workforce to have a DNI who would celebrate staff and contractors deciding to leak our nation’s most sensitive secrets as they see fit?” Warner asked.
Gabbard acknowledged that Snowden’s actions were illegal but maintained that his leaks had exposed “egregious, illegal, and unconstitutional programs” within the government, leading to significant reforms.
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Shifting Views on Surveillance Program
Gabbard also faced tough questions about her evolving position on Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which authorizes warrantless surveillance of foreign targets but has been criticized for incidentally collecting data on Americans.
Previously a vocal opponent of the program, Gabbard recently shifted her stance, citing amendments passed last year that she said addressed her concerns. However, her refusal to clarify her views on whether a warrant should be required to search for Americans’ data in the surveillance program drew criticism from Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas).
“You will be the director of national intelligence, and people will be wanting to hear from you about what we should do as policymakers,” Cornyn said.
Defending Her Record and Loyalty
Gabbard also faced accusations of echoing propaganda from U.S. adversaries, including Russia and the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad. Critics pointed to her 2017 meeting with Assad and her past comments questioning U.S. intelligence assessments of chemical weapons attacks in Syria.
Gabbard vehemently denied being a puppet of foreign powers, stating, “The fact is what truly unsettles my political opponents is I refuse to be their puppet.” She defended her record, citing her military service and commitment to opposing U.S. military interventions, such as the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
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Committee Chairman Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) came to Gabbard’s defense, dismissing attacks on her loyalty and praising her unconventional views. “She has undergone five FBI background checks. I spent more than two hours last week reviewing the latest, putting eyes on more than three hundred pages. It’s clean as a whistle,” Cotton said.
A Narrow Path to Confirmation
With Republicans holding a narrow 9-8 majority on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Gabbard will need the support of every Republican member to advance her nomination. Democrats are expected to oppose her, making her path to confirmation uncertain.
If the committee deadlocks, her nomination could still proceed to the full Senate, but it would require a 60-vote majority—a challenging hurdle in the divided chamber.
If confirmed, Gabbard would oversee 18 intelligence agencies with a combined budget of over $100 billion and play a critical role in shaping the intelligence presented to the president
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