Senators grill Tulsi Gabbard over Edward Snowden stance: 'I'm making myself very clear'

Tulsi Gabbard was grilled by several senators during her Thursday confirmation hearing regarding her stance on NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.

Gabbard, who was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as director of national intelligence, previously called for a pardon of Snowden, who leaked thousands of pages of classified government documents in 2013. Snowden's leaks revealed extensive surveillance measures the United States government implemented on its citizens without their knowledge or consent.

'Edward Snowden broke the law, and I do not agree with how he chose to release information and the extent of the information and intelligence that he released.'

Given Gabbard's previous comments praising Snowden, multiple senators pressed her.

"I'm making myself very clear," Gabbard said when asked if Snowden was a traitor to the country. "Edward Snowden broke the law. He released information about the United States government's illegal activities."

"If I may just finish my thought, senator," Gabbard said as she was being interrupted. "This role that I've been nominated for, if confirmed as director of national intelligence, I will be responsible for protecting our nation's secrets, and I have four immediate steps that I would take to prevent another Snowden-like leak."

Gabbard was repeatedly asked if she thought that Snowden was a traitor, contrasting with her previously held positions.

"Senator, my heart is with my commitment to our Constitution and our nation's security," Gabbard said, when asked again if she believed that Snowden was a traitor. "I have shown throughout my almost 22 years of service in the military as well as my time in Congress how seriously I take the privilege of having access to classified information and our nation's secrets. And that's why I'm committed, if confirmed as director of national intelligence, to join you in making sure that there is no future Snowden-type leak, and I would do so by taking four specific actions."

The first action Gabbard described was to ensure that there are no "illegal" and "unconstitutional" programs in the United States government to begin with.

She also proposed limiting access to highly classified information through security clearance reform, ensuring all employees are aware of the legal whistleblower channels available to them, and guaranteeing a direct line of communication to herself in order to voice any concerns.

"If people choose to step outside of those legal channels to raise any concerns about programs or actions that exist within the intelligence community that are classified, there will be no excuse to do so, and they should be charged and prosecuted under the law," Gabbard said. "I'm focused on the future and how we can prevent something like this from happening again."

"As I've said before, Edward Snowden broke the law, and I do not agree with how he chose to release information and the extent of the information and intelligence that he released," Gabbard reiterated. "It's my focus on the future."

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