{"id":2397100,"date":"2025-01-30T15:06:02","date_gmt":"2025-01-30T20:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-worry-gabbards-nonanswer-on-snowden-could-sink-her-bid\/"},"modified":"2025-01-30T15:06:39","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T20:06:39","slug":"republicans-worry-gabbards-nonanswer-on-snowden-could-sink-her-bid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-worry-gabbards-nonanswer-on-snowden-could-sink-her-bid\/","title":{"rendered":"Republicans worry Gabbard&#8217;s nonanswer on Snowden could sink her bid"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frepublicans-worry-gabbards-nonanswer-on-snowden-could-sink-her-bid%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2397100&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>During her confirmation hearing for the position of director of national\u200d intelligence, tulsi Gabbard faced scrutiny from Republicans due to her\u200c evasive responses regarding \u2064Edward Snowden, the \u200dNational Security Agency leaker.Gabbard did \u2063not label Snowden a traitor despite being given \u200dmultiple opportunities to do so. Rather, she\u200c stated that while Snowden broke the law, he exposed &#8220;egregious, illegal,\u200d and unconstitutional programs&#8221; within the government. Some Republican senators expressed\u200c surprise\u200b at her noncommittal stance, with concerns that it\u2064 might jeopardize her\u200b chances for nomination. The nomination hinges on a critical balance of votes within the Senate Intelligence Committee, with \u2063any dissent from Republican members perhaps affecting\u200c her \u200dpathway to\u2062 a full \u2063Senate \u2062vote. Discussions\u2064 are underway about alternative strategies to advance her nomination if it\u200b does not progress \u2062out of \u2062committee.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Republicans worry Tulsi Gabbard&rsquo;s nonanswer on Snowden could &lsquo;cost her the nomination&rsquo;&nbsp;<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1963141\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tulsi-gabbard\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Tulsi Gabbard<\/a> repeatedly refused to call National Security Agency leaker <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/edward-snowden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Edward Snowden\">Edward Snowden<\/a> a traitor during her confirmation hearing on Thursday, which some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/republican\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Republicans\">Republicans<\/a> are privately admitting could threaten her chances of advancing out of committee.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle gave President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Donald Trump<\/a>&rsquo;s pick to lead the U.S intelligence community <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3305669\/tulsi-gabbard-refuses-denounce-edward-snowden-traitor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"more than a half-dozen chances\">more than a half-dozen chances<\/a> to withdraw her past support of Snowden during her confirmation hearing, but she didn&rsquo;t take them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Instead, Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman, repeated a scripted response that Snowden &ldquo;broke the law&rdquo; but declined to call him a traitor. She also said he exposed &ldquo;egregious, illegal, and unconstitutional programs that are happening within our government.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3305669\/tulsi-gabbard-refuses-denounce-edward-snowden-traitor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"TULSI GABBARD REPEATEDLY REFUSES TO DENOUNCE EDWARD SNOWDEN AS A &lsquo;TRAITOR&rsquo;\"><strong>TULSI GABBARD REPEATEDLY REFUSES TO DENOUNCE EDWARD SNOWDEN AS A &lsquo;TRAITOR&rsquo;<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Gabbard&rsquo;s response to the Snowden questions during the portion of the hearing that was open to the public was a &ldquo;surprise&rdquo; to some, such as Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), who was one of the senators who posed the question.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I was surprised, yeah, because that doesn&rsquo;t seem like a hard question,&rdquo; Lankford told reporters on Wednesday afternoon. &ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t intended to be a trick question.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Lankford, who has already said he would support Gabbard, did not indicate if her responses to the questions could sway his vote or the votes of GOP senators who could be on the fence, such as Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Todd Young (R-IN).&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I just don&rsquo;t know where they are on it, and I think for the Intel Committee, the public hearing is important, obviously, but our private conversations are probably more,&rdquo; Lankford said before the closed portion of the hearing, in which members of the panel discuss classified information.<\/p>\n<p>The Oklahoma senator said he was surprised at how much Snowden came up during the hearing.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m sure [Snowden] is super excited that he&rsquo;s a topic of conversation again. As Todd Young pointed out, apparently, he&rsquo;s tracking the whole thing online and loves being the center of attention again,&rdquo; Lankford said. &ldquo;But he was certainly not a whistleblower. He was certainly someone who betrayed the United States and put American soldiers at risk all around the world based on his actions and activities.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Gabbard&rsquo;s past support had already been a possible liability for her nomination. When she served in the House of Representatives, she <a href=\"https:\/\/www.civilbeat.org\/beat\/gabbard-calls-for-charges-against-edward-snowden-to-be-dropped\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">introduced a resolution<\/a> with former Rep. Matt Gaetz that called for all charges to be dropped against Snowden. She urged Trump at the end of his first term to pardon Snowden and others who &ldquo;exposed the deception and criminality of those in the deep state.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>She also <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/TulsiGabbard\/status\/1313540209816948736\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">posted support<\/a> for Snowden on social media as recently as 2020 when she said, &ldquo;Brave whistleblowers exposing lies &amp; illegal actions in our government must be protected&rdquo; and that Snowden &ldquo;should be pardoned.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Some Republicans fear her refusal to call Snowden a traitor or say directly that his <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">actions <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ahead-of-holiday-senate-confirms-dozens-of-biden-nominees\/\" title=\"Ahead Of Holiday, Senate Confirms Dozens Of Biden Nominees\">harmed national security<\/a><\/a> could have further jeopardized her nomination.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Unless she says something vastly different inside the closed session, that nonanswer could have just cost her the nomination,&rdquo; a GOP Senate aide said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) questions former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, President Donald Trump&rsquo;s choice to be the director of national intelligence, during the Senate Intelligence Committee hearings for her confirmation at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/John McDonnell)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Young and Collins are emerging as the two critical swing votes on the panel. Young, for his part, appeared to be dissatisfied with Gabbard&rsquo;s answers on Snowden during his questioning.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think it would befit you and be helpful to the way you were perceived by members of the intelligence community if you would at least acknowledge &hellip; that he harmed national security by breaking the law,&rdquo; he told her.<\/p>\n<p>When reporters asked if Young was satisfied with Gabbard&rsquo;s answers on Snowden during the hearings, he declined to comment.<\/p>\n<p>Collins, who also questioned Gabbard on Snowden at the beginning of the hearing, said she is still evaluating Gabbard&rsquo;s nomination to become director of national intelligence.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot more of the hearing to go,&rdquo; Collins told reporters, exiting Gabbard&rsquo;s hearing to make an appearance in Robert F. Kennedy Jr.&rsquo;s hearing before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.<\/p>\n<p>Collins indicated it&rsquo;s &ldquo;too early to tell&rdquo; if Gabbard has enough committee votes to make it to a full Senate floor vote.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Gabbard&rsquo;s nomination could come down to one Republican vote. The committee is split 9-8 in favor of Republicans &mdash; meaning if all panel Democrats oppose Gabbard, as is expected, a single GOP flip could prevent her nomination from reaching the floor.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>There have been discussions about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-administration-forgives-72m-more-of-student-loan-debt-calls-it-protecting-the-cheated\/\" title=\"Biden forgives additional M in student loan debt, defends the &#039;cheated&#039;.\">finding alternative ways<\/a> to bring Gabbard&rsquo;s nomination to the floor if she&rsquo;s unable to advance out of the committee, but Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) appeared to pour cold water on that option earlier this week.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1963141\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1963141\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Republicans fear Tulsi Gabbard&#8217;s stance on Snowden may jeopardize her nomination<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2657,"featured_media":2397101,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/AP25030660118639-scaled-1024x683.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[3728,3927,3756,16426],"class_list":["post-2397100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-election","tag-gabbard","tag-republicans","tag-snowden"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/AP25030660118639-scaled-1024x683.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2397100","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2657"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2397100"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2397100\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2397104,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2397100\/revisions\/2397104"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2397101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2397100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2397100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2397100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}