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Tulsi Gabbard is seeking to assuage senators’ concerns astir her information successful a caller sentiment portion explaining wherefore she thought "traitor" was excessively harsh a connection for Edward Snowden.
Gabbard, President Donald Trump’s prime for manager of nationalist quality (DNI), did not endorse Snowden’s whistleblowing actions during her confirmation hearing, but her refusal to telephone him a traitor near immoderate Republicans unsettled.
She admitted that Snowden’s merchandise of classified accusation to the media "harmed our nationalist security" but besides "revealed amerciable and unconstitutional authorities programs that conducted wide surveillance of millions of Americans' data."
Gabbard elaborated successful a Newsweek op-ed. "Given the involvement by committee members astir whether Edward Snowden should beryllium called a ‘traitor,’ here's what I shared with the Senate Intelligence Committee successful the closed league astir wherefore I bash not casually propulsion astir that term: Treason is simply a superior offense, punishable by death, yet politicians similar erstwhile Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and erstwhile US Senator Mitt Romney person slandered me, Donald Trump Jr. and others with baseless accusations of treason."
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"Snowden should person raised his concerns astir amerciable surveillance done authorized channels, specified arsenic the Inspector General oregon the Intelligence Committee, alternatively of leaking to the media," she wrote.
Gabbard struck a antithetic code arsenic a Democratic subordinate of the House, erstwhile she introduced a solution with erstwhile Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., calling for each charges to beryllium dropped against Snowden. She besides enactment distant a measure that would person offered further whistleblower extortion for radical similar Snowden.
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"If it wasn’t for Snowden, the American radical would ne'er person learned the NSA was collecting telephone records and spying connected Americans," she said connected Joe Rogan's podcast successful 2019.
Snowden, who present lives successful exile successful Russia, leaked classified documents astir planetary surveillance programs that pitted nationalist information concerns against privateness concerns.
If confirmed arsenic DNI, Gabbard said she would not support those who spell extracurricular authorized whistleblower channels to leak classified information, but she would besides found a hotline straight to herself for whistleblowers.
Gabbard added that she would institute due oversight to support against amerciable quality postulation programs and behaviour information clearance betterment to minimize entree to highly classified intelligence.
She besides promised to extremity "weaponization" of the quality assemblage and pointed to the Iraq War as a premier "failure of intelligence."
"This disastrous determination led to the deaths of thousands… And it led to the emergence of ISIS, the strengthening of al-Qaeda and different Islamist Jihadist groups, and the emboldening of Iran."
TULSI GABBARD CONFIRMATION FATE TO BE TESTED WITH KEY COMMITTEE VOTE
During her confirmation hearing, Gabbard was besides pressed connected her past meetings with then-Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, her erstwhile Section 702 of FISA stance and her views connected Russia.
While Intel Committee Chair Tom Cotton, R-Ark., has continued to beforehand Gabbard for the role. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., initially a skeptic, announced Tuesday greeting helium would enactment Gabbard's confirmation successful a committee ballot aft receiving written assurances astir her position connected whistleblowers.
Gabbard volition apt request the enactment of each azygous Republican connected the committee, assuming nary Democrats ballot successful her favor. None of the Democratic senators person said they volition ballot to beforehand her nomination.
She clinched enactment from different GOP skeptics – Sens. James Lankford, R-Okla., Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, aft her hearing.
Gabbard inactive has not won the enactment of Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Jerry Moran, R-Kans., Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and John Curtis, R-Utah.
Fox News' Julia Johnson contributed to this report.
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