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Tulsi Gabbard's support for Edward Snowden questioned by Senate intelligence panel

Former Democratic lawmaker calls out Trump's political enemies for 'lies and smears'

Tulsi Gabbard prepares to testify during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing to examine her nomination to be Director of National Intelligence, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. Photo by Annabelle Gordon
1 of 4 | Tulsi Gabbard prepares to testify during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing to examine her nomination to be Director of National Intelligence, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. Photo by Annabelle Gordon | License Photo

Jan. 30 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump's choice to direct U.S. intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, faced senators from both sides of the aisle who expressed concern about her support for Edward Snowden during a confirmation hearing Thursday.

Nine Republicans and eight Democrats make up the Senate Intelligence Committee. Republicans have largely been supportive of Trump's nominees to this point. Democrats have pushed back on some over a lack of experience, history of misconduct and affinity for conspiracy theories. Gabbard is expected to meet resistance from Democrats, as well.

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Committee Vice Chairman Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said the Senate Intelligence Committee has always acted in a bipartisan fashion, as his turn came to question Gabbard before recess.

The hearing began at 10 a.m. EST. It gaveled for recess at about 12:40 p.m. EST, as it moved into a classified session scheduled for about 1:10 p.m. EST.

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Gabbard took aim at Trump's political enemies in her opening statement, including his 2016 election opponent Hilary Clinton, former President Joe Biden and Trump's 2024 election opponent Kamala Harris. She said U.S. intelligence agencies have been politicized and abused.

"For too long, faulty, inadequate or weaponized intelligence have led to costly failures and the undermining of national security and God-given freedoms enshrined in the Constitution," Gabbard said. "The most obvious example of one of these failures is our invasion of Iraq based upon a total fabrication or complete failure of intelligence."

"The American people elected Donald Trump as their president not once but twice," she continued. "Yet the FBI and intelligence agencies were politicized by his opponents to undermine his presidency and falsely portray him as a puppet of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin."

Gabbard added that viewers will hear "lies and smears" accusing her of being "Trump's puppet, Putin's puppet, [Syrian President Bashar al] Assad's puppet." She accused Democratic senators of "anti-Christian bigotry" over their opposition to some of Trump's past appointments, including U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

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Democrats have questioned other Cabinet nominees' ability to stand up to Trump if asked to do something illegal. Attorney general pick Pam Bondi and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth were also asked this. When asked on Thursday, Gabbard said she does not believe Trump would call for any illegal actions.

"My commitment has been and will be, if confirmed as director of National Intelligence, to comply with the law," she said.

Warner brought Gabbard's loyalty into question from the outset, warning that U.S. allies may be hesitant or refuse to share intel with the United States if Gabbard is named director. He notes that there is no legal requirement for allies to share intelligence with the United States.

"It also leads me to question whether you can develop the trust necessary to give our allies confidence that they can share their most sensitive intelligence with us," said Warner. "Make no mistake about it, if they stop sharing that intelligence, the United States will be less safe."

Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman representing Hawaii, has echoed conspiracy theories trumpeted by the propaganda arm of the Kremlin. She has faced criticism from Democrats and Republicans who have voiced skepticism about her loyalties.

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A longtime critic of U.S. intelligence agencies, Gabbard has said former National Security Agency contractor-turned-whistleblower Edward Snowden should be pardoned. The leak of classified documents on government surveillance programs was a service to the American public, according to Gabbard.

Republican Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., pressed Gabbard on her view of Snowden, asking her if she considers him a traitor to the United States. He said it is important to the committee that they hear Gabbard say Snowden is a traitor.

Gabbard declined to repeat that sentiment, instead saying she will focus on preventing a future "Snowden-type leak." Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., continued to press Gabbard to say whether or not she believes Snowden is a traitor. She conceded that he broke the law but again did not say he is a traitor.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, shifted the conversation back toward Gabbard's stance on pardoning Snowden. Gabbard walked back her past support for a pardon, assuring Collins she would not support or recommend a pardon or clemency for Snowden.

Warner remained concerned about Gabbard rising to lead the Department of National Intelligence, due in part to her support for Snowden.

"I don't find your change of heart enough," Warner said.

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In 2022, weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine, former Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah. alleged that Gabbard's statements were treasonous and potentially deadly.

"Tulsi Gabbard is parroting false Russian propaganda. Her treasonous lies may well cost lives," Romney said on social media.

Gabbard argued that she upsets her political opponents because of her independence. After serving four terms in the U.S. House, she unsuccessfully ran for president in 2020 before leaving the Democratic Party.

She endorsed Trump during his 2024 presidential campaign.

"The truth is what really upsets my political opponents is my consistent record of independence, regardless of political affiliation, and my refusal to be anyone's puppet," Gabbard said. "You know who else is committed to defending our country and reforming Washington with a fierce and unparalleled independence, President Donald J. Trump who ran and won with a mandate for change this November."

Gabbard's 2017 trip to Lebanon and Syria came into focus in questions from Sen. Collins and Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz. Kelly asserted that while Gabbard had expressed skepticism about U.S. intelligence, she did not direct the same scrutiny toward a professor that cast doubt about a Syrian chemical attack in 2017.

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U.S. intelligence found that the attack orchestrated by the Syrian government in Khan Shaykun, Syria, killed at least 90 people. Gabbard subscribed to a theory by Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Theodore Postol about how the attack was executed, conflicting with U.S. intelligence. Postol's assessment was discredited and the journal Science & Global Security refused to publish his paper on it, citing a number of issues with its peer-review process and the need for further analysis.

Russia denied that the Assad regime had used chemical weapons.

"They accused the U.S. of supporting terrorists," Kelly said of Russia. "This is a line that Putin used frequently during the Syrian civil war as he supported Assad. In 2016, you gave an interview in which you said -- 'The U.S. is providing direct and indirect support to terrorist groups in order to overthrow the Syrian government.'"

"In 2019 on the Democratic presidential debate stage of President Trump -- 'This current president is continuing to betray us. We are supposed to be going after Al Qaeda but over years now not only have we not gone after Al Qaeda, our president is supporting Al Qaeda,'" he continued.

Kelly questioned what Gabbard's motives were in making these statements and whether she considered the motives of Russia and Iran.

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"It was shocking and a betrayal to me and every person who was killed on 9/11 -- when as a member of Congress I learned about President [Barack] Obama's dual programs that he had begun, really to overthrow the regime of Syria," she said, adding that it resulted in another regime change in Syria and in the United States training Al Qaeda fighters.

"A regime change war in Syria, much like the regime change wars in Iraq, the toppling of [Muammar] Gaddafi and [Hosni] Mubarak, while these are all dictators, would likely result in the rise of Islamists extremists like Al Qaeda taking power."

Kelly responded, saying his concern is over Gabbard's tendency to repeat Russian, Iranian and Syrian narratives while discounting the U.S. intelligence community.

Gabbard is one of three nominees facing Senate panels Thursday. Trump's choice for FBI director, Kash Patel, and director of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., are also expected to face a difficult path to confirmation.

During her time in the U.S. House, Gabbard was critical of U.S. intelligence's electronic surveillance program, carried out under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, calling it an overreach and violation of the rights of Americans. She sought to repeal the act in 2020.

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After being introduced, no action was taken on Gabbard's proposed Protect Our Civil Liberties Act.

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