Mum on supporting Snowden, grilled for meeting Bashar Assad: Key takeaways from Tulsi Gabbard's confirmation hearing

US Senators from both parties, Democrats and Republicans, questioned Tulsi Gabbard, President Donald Trump’s nominee for director of national intelligence, during her confirmation hearing on Thursday. The discussion was tense at times, suggesting that her confirmation may not be easy.

Here are some takeaways from her confirmation hearing

Gabbard grilled on past meeting with Syria's Assad

For more than two hours, members of the Senate Intelligence Committee asked Gabbard about her 2017 meeting with Bashar Assad, the former leader of Syria, and her past statements blaming the United States and Nato for provoking Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Also read: Is Hindu-American Tulsi Gabbard of Indian origin?

Gabbard on Snowden

One of the main concerns for both Republicans and Democrats was her position on Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who leaked classified information about government surveillance programs in 2013.

When asked repeatedly if Snowden was a "traitor," Gabbard did not directly answer. Instead, she said that he "broke the law" and that she would work to prevent future leaks if confirmed. She also said that Snowden "exposed egregious, illegal and unconstitutional programs that are happening within our government."

Democrats question Gabbard's statements on Russia

Former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, who ran for president in 2020 before leaving the party and endorsing Trump in 2024, also faced questions about her past remarks on Russia's war in Ukraine. She has been accused of repeating Russian propaganda to justify Putin's invasion.

During the hearing, Senator Michael Bennet read some of Gabbard's previous comments, including her statement that Putin had "legitimate security concerns" over Nato expansion in Eastern Europe. Bennet said this suggested she believed a "totalitarian state" was "justified in rolling over the peaceful border of Ukraine."

He also pointed out that Russian state TV aired her remarks and referred to her as "our friend Tulsi."

Gabbard, a lieutenant colonel in the National Guard who served in the Middle East, has no formal intelligence experience.


Several committee members appeared dissatisfied with her responses.

It is unclear how many Republicans might vote against her. If all Democrats oppose her nomination, even one Republican voting no in the committee could prevent her confirmation from reaching the full Senate.

Gabbard does not have a traditional background for leading the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which was established after the September 11, 2001, attacks to improve coordination among intelligence agencies, including the CIA and FBI.

She was once viewed as aligned with the political left but has since held a range of political positions, leading some to question her current views.

Her supporters highlighted her military service, including her time in the Iraq War, as evidence of her qualifications for the role.