Some Republican senators are privately eager to see Tulsi Gabbard’s FBI file, whose history of alignment with Russia has drawn concern in the wake of her director of national intelligence nomination, reported Punchbowl News.
Although Gabbard has drawn headlines for previously echoing Russian talking points on topics like the wars in Ukraine and Syria, it’s her support for leaker turned-Russian citizen Edward Snowden that is allegedly most troubling for some lawmakers.
The former Democratic congresswoman openly pushed for the U.S. to “drop all charges” against Snowden in a 2020 bill that was co-sponsored by former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, another one-time Trump cabinet nominee who was yesterday forced to withdraw his name amid sexual misconduct allegations he denies.
ADVERTISEMENT
Lawmakers—including members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is responsible for processing Gabbard’s nomination—reportedly find Gabbard’s support for Snowden, a former NSA employee who leaked state secrets, especially concerning because of the danger his actions posed to national security, reported Punchbowl.
Although FBI file reviews are standard for presidential cabinet candidates, Punchbowl reported that the Republican senators’ interest in doing so seems to suggest that they believe there could be yet-unknown information in the file—like potential foreign contacts.
The GOP senators are still, for the time being, treating their president-elect’s candidates with the typical level of deference, largely refraining from public criticism, though many of the picks have dropped jaws on both sides of the aisle.
However, remarks from senators seem to suggest that this state of affairs might not last.
“I start out saying, OK, this is an individual the president wants on his team,” said Republican Sen. Mike Rounds, who is on the intelligence committee, according to Punchbowl. “But now let’s talk about information that maybe the president didn’t have, or information that comes up, and at that stage do we advise the president to look elsewhere or do we offer our consent?”
Another Republican on the committee, Sen. John Cornyn, told Punchbowl that he “has no doubt [Gabbard is] a patriot,” but that he would still like to ask her about her stance on Russia.
Sen. Susan Collins, also on the committee, said that Gabbard is “a nominee that illustrates the importance of a full background check, a public hearing, and the constitutional role of the Senate.”
In a statement to Punchbowl, Trump transition spokesperson Alexa Henning assured that Gabbard “will protect our national security and defend against any effort to use the work of our intelligence agencies as weapons against Americans.”
