The Maine Republican stated the nominee ‘addressed my issues concerning her views on Edward Snowden.’
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) introduced on Feb. 3 that she is going to help former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination for director of nationwide intelligence (DNI), offering Gabbard with a key vote.
Collins stated Gabbard would return the workplace of DNI “to its supposed measurement.” In the course of the listening to, it was talked about that the workplace, which oversees America’s 18 intelligence companies, has develop into expansive by way of its variety of personnel.
The senator went on to say that Gabbard, a former Democrat who represented Hawaii within the Home for eight years, “addressed my issues concerning her views on Edward Snowden.”
Throughout final week’s Senate Intelligence Committee listening to on Gabbard’s nomination, questions got here up concerning her previous statements on Snowden, who’s in Russia on asylum after leaking U.S. nationwide safety secrets and techniques in 2013. Gabbard declined, when requested a number of occasions, to say that Snowden is a traitor.
She stated DNI must be “centered on the longer term and the way we are able to forestall one thing like this from occurring once more.” She acknowledged that Snowden “broke the legislation.”
Gabbard additionally talked about the necessity to forestall “one other Snowden-type leak.”
“And I’ve laid out particular actions if confirmed as DNI to do this,” she stated.
Additionally through the listening to, questions on her previous views on Russia and Syria got here up. Gabbard was requested about her 2017 assembly with former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. She stated she talked to him about his use of chemical weapons on his personal folks. Gabbard has stated that Assad is “not the enemy of america.”
On the Russia–Ukraine conflict, prior to now she blamed Ukraine and NATO for the battle.
Throughout her affirmation listening to, nevertheless, Gabbard stated Russia is accountable.
Have been one Republican to hitch all Democrats on the committee in voting towards advancing Gabbard’s nomination, that might be sufficient to reject her within the committee, although the complete Senate might vote to substantiate her anyway.
The GOP controls the Senate, 53–47, and might afford to lose three of its members if no Democrats help Gabbard. Vice President JD Vance would break a tie.
The Related Press contributed to this report.