(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Axios reported Wednesday that some Republican Senators are opposing President Donald Trump’s pick to run the Office of Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, on the grounds that she’s expressed support for NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden—whose disclosures revealed how U.S. agencies are spying on Americans.
“There’s definitely a risk that she won’t even survive the committee process,” one Republican senator, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, reportedly told Axios.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, did speak on the record about legislation Gabbard co-sponsored with former Rep. Matt Gaetz to have the Justice Department drop its espionage charges against Snowden. Collins reportedly told Axios she is concerned about the legislation. According to Axios, she said that “it’s something that came up in my own review of [Gabbard’s] record.”
Gabbard’s team, for its part, said that “There is not one GOP senator on record opposing Lt. Col. Gabbard’s nomination.”
Gabbard, who for years was a vocal opponent of domestic surveillance, has already compromised on that issue. Earlier this month, she reportedly said that she now supports warrantless spying on Americans via Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Section 702 allows the U.S. government to collect without a warrant the communications of targeted foreigners located in other countries — including when those subjects are in contact with Americans or other people inside the U.S.
The arrangement often results in Americans having their communications read. Gabbard now says she supports this due to recent reforms from the last Congress.
“If confirmed as DNI, I will uphold Americans’ Fourth Amendment rights while maintaining vital national security tools like Section 702 to ensure the safety and freedom of the American people,” she said coming out of last week’s round of private Senate meetings.
“My prior concerns about FISA were based on insufficient protections for civil liberties, particularly regarding the FBI’s misuse of warrantless search powers on American citizens. Significant FISA reforms have been enacted since my time in Congress to address these issues.”
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
