Edward Snowden Weighs in on Gabbard Confirmation Hearings, Where She Refused To Call Him a ‘Traitor’

Jan. 31—“The Senate Intel Committee spent nearly the entirety of its session Jan. 30 furiously demanding that Director of National Intelligence nominee [Tulsi] Gabbard condemn me personally, a position now opposed by something like 94% of Americans,” wrote exiled whistleblower Edward Snowden as Tusli Gabbard’s confirmation hearing concluded. “Courts have been ruling for ten years that the NSA [National Security Agency] broke the law, guys. Move on.”

A few hours before the hearing began, Snowden posted this message: “Tulsi Gabbard will be required to disown all prior support for whistleblowers as a condition of confirmation today. I encourage her to do so. Tell them I harmed national security and the sweet, soft feelings of staff. In D.C., that’s what passes for the pledge of allegiance.”

Gabbard did not take Snowden’s advice. Despite repeated, increasingly frenzied demands that she call Snowden a traitor, Gabbard refused to give in. He broke the law, she acknowledged, but he revealed egregious wrongdoing. More broadly, she called for a whistleblower policy that would allow future Snowdens to safely bring their concerns to the attention of relevant investigators.