Senators questioned former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard on Thursday as part of her confirmation process to be director of National Intelligence.
President Donald Trump nominated the former Democratic congresswoman for the role, which is the top U.S. intelligence officer and a major national security position. Intelligence agencies have come under increasing scrutiny for a litany of failures and breaches of trust.
Gabbard, a combat veteran and member of the U.S. Army Reserves, spoke of restoring trust in the intelligence community, pointing to a list of failures from the poor intelligence that helped provoke the invasion of Iraq to mass surveillance of Americans and Congress.
Gabbard promised to end politicization of the intelligence community. She also pointed out that under the Biden administration, the FBI spied on Catholics and said even Gabbard herself was placed on a secret terror watch list after criticizing former Vice President Kamala Harris.
“If confirmed as DNI, I will do my very best to fulfill this mandate and bring leadership to the intelligence community with a laser-like focus on our essential mission: ensuring the safety, security and freedom of the American people,” Gabbard said.
Hitting on a theme of the hearing, Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., pressed Gabbard on Edward Snowden, asking her directly if Snowden is a traitor.
“This is a big deal to everybody here because it is a big deal to everybody that you will be able to oversee…”
Gabbard didn’t answer the question saying she is focused on the future but said she would commit to preventing future Snowden-like leaks in the future by limiting those who have clearances and promoting the legal whistleblower channels.
“If people choose to step outside of those legal channels…there will be no excuse to do so and they will be prosecuted…” Gabbard said.
Sen. Michael Bennett, D-Colo., pressed Gabbard even harder on the Snowden question.
“Is Edward Snowden a traitor the United States of America? That is not a hard question to answer when the stakes are this high.”
Gabbard would not directly answer that question but repeatedly pointed to her role in the military and her pledge to make sure a Snowden-like event does not happen again.
Gabbard also faced questions about her past comments on Ukraine and Russia. Gabbard had criticized the Biden administration, saying it helped provoke Russia into invading Ukraine by publicly considering adding Ukraine to NATO.
Gabbard pushed back on the Senators and her critics, as other Trump picks have done.
“Now before I close [my opening statement] I want to warn the American people who are watching at home,” Gabbard said. “You may hear lies and smears that will challenge my loyalty to and my love for our country.
“Those who oppose my nomination imply that I am loyal to something or someone other than God, my own conscience, and the Constitution of the United States,” she added. “Accusing me of being Trump’s puppet, Putin’s puppet, Assad’s puppet, a guru’s puppet, Modi’s puppet, not recognizing the absurdity of simultaneously being the puppet of five different puppet masters.”
Gabbard said Democrats also accused Trump of being a Russian puppet, but the tactic failed and he was chosen by the American people.
“What truly unsettles my political opponents is I refuse to be their puppet,” Gabbard said.
