Tulsi Gabbard explains why she won’t call Edward Snowden a ‘traitor’ ahead of tough committee vote

Tulsi Gabbard appears to be seeking to assuage senators’ concerns about her nomination in a new opinion piece explaining why she thought 'traitor' was too harsh a word for Edward Snowden. 

Gabbard, President Donald Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence (DNI), did not endorse Snowden’s whistleblowing actions during her confirmation hearing, but her refusal to call him a traitor left some Republicans unsettled. 

She admitted that Snowden’s release of classified information to the media 'harmed our national security' but also 'revealed illegal and unconstitutional government programs that conducted mass surveillance of millions of Americans' data.'

Gabbard elaborated in a Newsweek op-ed. 'Given the interest by committee members about whether Edward Snowden should be called a ‘traitor,’ here's what I shared with the Senate Intelligence Committee in the closed session about why I do not casually throw around that term: Treason is a capital offense, punishable by death, yet politicians like former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former US Senator Mitt Romney have slandered me, Donald Trump Jr. and others with baseless accusations of treason.'

'Snowden should have raised his concerns about illegal surveillance through authorized channels, such as the Inspector General or the Intelligence Committee, instead of leaking to the media,' she wrote. 

Gabbard struck a different tone as a Democratic member of the House, when she introduced a resolution with former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., calling for all charges to be dropped against Snowden. She also put forth a bill that would have offered additional whistleblower protection for people like Snowden.

'If it wasn’t for Snowden, the American people would never have learned the NSA was collecting phone records and spying on Americans,' she said on Joe Rogan's podcast in 2019. 

Snowden, who now lives in exile in Russia, leaked classified documents about global surveillance programs that pitted national security concerns against privacy concerns. 

If confirmed as DNI, Gabbard said she would not protect those who go outside authorized whistleblower channels to leak classified information, but she would also establish a hotline directly to herself for whistleblowers. 

Gabbard added that she would institute proper oversight to protect against illegal intelligence collection programs and conduct security clearance reform to minimize access to highly classified intelligence. 

She also promised to end 'weaponization' of the intelligence community and pointed to the Iraq War as a prime 'failure of intelligence.' 

'This disastrous decision led to the deaths of thousands… And it led to the rise of ISIS, the strengthening of al-Qaeda and other Islamist Jihadist groups, and the emboldening of Iran.'

During her confirmation hearing, Gabbard was also pressed on her past meetings with then-Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, her previous Section 702 of FISA stance and her views on Russia. 

While Intel Committee Chair Tom Cotton, R-Ark., has continued to promote Gabbard for the role. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., initially a skeptic, announced Tuesday morning he would support Gabbard's confirmation in a committee vote after receiving written assurances about her perspective on whistleblowers. 

Gabbard will likely need the support of every single Republican on the committee, assuming no Democrats vote in her favor. None of the Democratic senators have said they will vote to advance her nomination.

She clinched support from other GOP senators – James Lankford, Okla., John Cornyn, Texas, and Susan Collins, Maine, after her hearing.

Gabbard still has not won the support of Republican Sens. Mitch McConnell, Ky., Jerry Moran, Kan., Lisa Murkowski, Alaska, and John Curtis, Utah.

Fox News' Julia Johnson contributed to this report.