Tulsi Gabbard faced a fierce grilling from Senate Democrats at her confirmation hearing, but she showed that she was more than willing to fight back just as hard.
Gabbard was handpicked by President Donald Trump to serve as director of national intelligence, but Democrats attempted to dredge up past statements to derail the nomination this past week.
‘President Trump’s re-election is a clear mandate from the American people to break this cycle of failure and end the weaponization of the intelligence community.’
Gabbard took on the main criticism against her during her opening statement when she attacked the notion that she had been the puppet of foreign interests.
“I want to warn the American people who are watching at home: You may hear lies and smears in this hearing that will challenge my loyalty to and my love for our country,” she said.
“Those who oppose my nomination imply that I am loyal to something or someone other than God, my own conscience, and the Constitution of the United States,” she continued. “Democrats have accused me of being Trump’s puppet, Putin’s puppet, Assad’s puppet, a guru’s puppet, but what truly unsettles my political opponents is I refuse to be their puppet.”
Later during her testimony she took on Democrats on her support for Edward Snowden, who broke the law when he stole classified information to let the public know about illegal government surveillance.
Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia (D) pointed to statements Gabbard made calling Snowden “brave” and asked whether she still supported her legislation to drop charges against him.
“I’m making myself very clear. Edward Snowden broke the law. He released information about the United States government’s illegal activities,” she said.
She went on to say that she would take steps to prevent another “Snowden-like” leak.
In another clip from her opening statement, Gabbard explained why so many have lost faith in the U.S. intelligence community.
“I’m honored and grateful to President Trump for his trust and confidence in nominating me to serve our country as the director of national intelligence at a time when trust in the intelligence community, unfortunately, is at an all-time low,” said Gabbard.
“For too long, faulty, inadequate, or weaponized intelligence have led to costly failures and the undermining of our national security and God-given freedoms enshrined in the Constitution,” she added.
She gave several examples and comments about the shortcomings of the intelligence community.
“The bottom line is this: This must end. President Trump’s re-election is a clear mandate from the American people to break this cycle of failure and end the weaponization of the intelligence community.”
Gabbard’s nomination is enthusiastically supported by libertarians and others who criticize recent military decisions and wars supported by both Republicans and Democrats. Her detractors have accused her of being a national security threat over her willingness to sympathize with dictator Bashar al-Assad of Syria and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Some Republican members of Congress have already signaled that they may not support her nomination. She can afford to lose only three Republican senators, with Vice President JD Vance providing the tiebreaking vote.
“That nomination is in trouble,” one Republican senator anonymously told The Hill regarding Gabbard.
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