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Tlosi Gabbard, the selection of President Trump to be the following National Intelligence Director, supported a difficult audience on Thursday in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee, while legislators pushed her on her opinion on Edward Snowden. , Sping, Syria and Russia.
The former -upright colonel of the Congress and the Army has been considered among the toughest elevators on the Trump candidate board and, based on the public part of Thursday’s sight, Gabbard remains in a hard place . It probably has to win most of the 17 votes of the Committee, which could be difficult for themselves, to reach the flat voting.
Her 2.5 -hour public meeting with the legislators arrived before a second audience at the closed doors where she and the legislators were able to discuss sensitive issues.
Then they show five to take away from their audience.
Snowden dominates the discussion
Once and again, members of the group of two sides in the hallway asked Gabbard about Edward Snowden. And again and again, he returned with a repeated answer, which did not look enough.
Senators had indicated for weeks that they were concerned about Gabbard’s past statements about NSA’s unfortunate contractor who leaked documents classified by countless.
Gabbard’s co -author supported a forgiveness for him and supported a bill that would have given greater protection from complainants for people accused of violating the espionage law, both anathema to members of the Intel group. · Ligence.
While Snowden appeared several times during the first hour, it was not until the second half of the sight that the subject exploded when Senator James Lankford (R-Okla) asked twice if Snowden was a traitor. Tightened twice.
“My heart is with my commitment to our constitution and the security of our nation,” Gabbard said, exposing four actions to avoid another Future Snowden.
“Senator, I am focused on the future and how we can prevent something from happening again,” he said after Lankford asked for the second time.
These answers asked Senator Michael Bennet (D-Colo) to ask the question three additional times before letting Gabbard let go for their inability to give an “yes” or “no” answer.
“This is when the rubber reaches the road. This is not a time for social media. This is not a time to propagate conspiracy theories or attacks on journalism in the United States,” said Bennet. “This is when you need to answer the questions of the people you ask for as the intelligence of this nation.”
In total, more than half a dozen members asked the Citizen Ara-Rus, with Gabbard repeatedly replied that Snowden “broke the law” and did not agree with how to publish the information.
His inability to respond if Snowden was a traitor to even some of his supporters.
“I felt that it was a fairly easy question, in fact, being able to go and say only:” This is universally accepted when you steal a million pages of more secret documents and deliver them to the Russians, which is a treacherous act, “” said Lankford to journalists after the open session. “That caught me.”
“I was surprised, yes. Because that doesn’t seem like a difficult question about it,” he continued. “I was not intended to be a trick question by any means.”
Gabbard is on the swing gop vote resistance
On Thursday, at the top of Gabbard, he won a couple of Senate Republicans who are believed to be on the fence on his candidacy: sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Todd Young (R-Ind.). You cannot afford to lose a single GOP vote to the Committee.
Young, a former marine intelligence officer, pressed Gabbard with Snowden, which is seemingly impressed with his answers.
He asked about a report from the House Intelligence Committee that he found that Snowden “caused enormous damage”, including “military programs, defense and intelligence of great interest to opponents of America.”
Gabbard reiterated his line used that Snowden “broke the law” and will pressure to avoid a repeated instance in the future. The answer didn’t look enough for young people.
“It is noteworthy that you did not say,” Yes, it did clearly, in various ways, to our national security, “Young responded.
Young wondered how he believes that members of the classification community and tab will receive his comments past Snowden and if he “betrayed the confidence of the American people”, adding that it marks the definition of a “traitor .
Gabbard again said that Snowden violated the law and repeated similar lines that he did to members with Snowden issues.
Young finally replied that Snowden was seeing his eyesight and stated that he would make him a world of good “if he would at least recognize that the greatest complainant … He damaged national security when breaking the laws of the earth around our authority Intel ”.
Young is far from a carbon copy of most senators who support Trump who have been in office in recent years. He was one of the few who never approved Trump during his 2024 campaign and is a prominent defense falcon. A GOP source came to say that Young was “a problem” for Gabbard, directing.
In the meantime, Collins did not create many waves during his question as part of the open session, asking if Gabbard met with a leader or member of Hezbollah, and other queries related to the threat of terror that faces the United States and its proposal to protect complainants reveal classified information.
Gabbard tries to take on 702 after Collins criticism
Although Collins did not ask on Thursday in Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Law, the intelligence tool seems to be at the center of its learning about Gabbard.
And it took place repeatedly throughout the hearing, while Gabbard tried to convince members of the panel that it is no longer a tool that they believe is a critical tool for gathering intelligence on foreign land.
Gabbard was an avid opponent of Section 702, which allows for no guarantee surveillance of foreign goals, throughout his time in the house. He proposed the legislation in 2020 to repeal the program and voted several times against re -authorization.
This raised red flags with numerous members of the Committee, which led to Gabbard to pass his position since he was nominated.
“(Section 702) provides unique tool and safety capacity that are essential for our national security. There are several areas that would be blind from the perspective of national security without this capacity, “Gabbard said, adding that the tool” must exist next to safeguards “to support civilian freedoms of the north – Americans.
However, their current position has not lived up to some who will decide their luck. Collins said The hillLast week he did not believe that Gabbard changed his position on this based on answers to written questions that were frequently “covered”.
Gabbard defends Syria’s trip 2017
Gabbard, since he was nominated, has been found at the back of the 2017 visit to Syria for a secret meeting with the then President Bashir al-Assad, and on Thursday he tried to defend the visit to the legislators.
When Senator Martin Heinrich (DN.M.) asked if the trip exposed “a good judgment”, he said he had it.
“Yes, senator. And I think the leaders, whether in Congress or the President of the United States, can benefit and participate, “he said. “Boots on the ground, learning and listening to and gathering directly with people, whether they are opponents or friends.”
Gabbard said he asked Assad “hard questions” about the actions of his regime, including the use of chemical weapons to Syrians. He added that he met the democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) And Steny Hoyer (D-MD.) On the trip without any intelligence community or officials in the State Department.
He also admitted that the meeting did not produce Assad concessions.
“No,” he said. “And I didn’t expect me,”
Assad was deposed as a Syrian leader in December and received asylum in Russia.
Senators press Gabbard on Russia’s comments
Gabbard sought to involve concerns about his stance on Russia and the ongoing war in Ukraine, leaving the allegations that he is a “puppet” of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
At the most amazing and unpleasant moment related to Russia, Gabbard told Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) That he was “offended” by him asking if Russia will receive “a pass” to “your mind or your heart” Make a policy recommendation.
“I feel offended by the question because my only approach, commitment and responsibility is about our own nation, our own security and interest in the North -American people,” said Gabbard. “When carrying out the responsibilities of the Director of National Intelligence, if confirmed, no country, group or individual will get a pass.”
Gabbard was known for echoing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s conversation about the Ukraine War to the point where Russian state television has promoted its comments.
At one point, Gabbard stated that the administration of Biden and NATO were partially responsible for the war, having argued that they should simply “recognize Russia’s legitimate security concerns”.
On Thursday, Heinrich continued to ask who was responsible for the war.
“Putin began the war in Ukraine,” he said.
