Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump’s nominee for director of national intelligence, was repeatedly asked to explain why she sought a pardon for Edward Snowden, the former government contractor who leaked thousands of classified documents revealing the scope of the nation’s surveillance programs.
Gabbard — a former Democratic congresswoman turned Trump ally accused of routinely amplifying Russian propaganda and defending Syria’s Bashar al-Assad — also refused to call Snowden a “traitor” during her confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday, facing questions from members of both parties about her past praise.
