President Donald Trump’s nominee for Director of National Intelligence (DNI), former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, is facing sharp criticism from the Wall Street Journal editorial board, which questioned her stance on protecting state secrets.
Gabbard, a former Democrat who left the party two years ago, has long been scrutinized for her views on U.S. intelligence and has been accused of promoting Russia-backed conspiracy theories. Her nomination has also raised concerns among Senate Republicans, making her one of Trump’s most controversial picks.
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The Journal editorial board took particular aim at Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Tom Cotton (R-AR), who recently defended Gabbard, stating that he hoped “nobody questions Ms. Gabbard’s patriotism.” However, the board argued that patriotism is not the issue—her judgment is.
“The issue is what she believes and what she does, especially on U.S. intelligence. Her history isn’t encouraging,” the board wrote, pointing to her 2020 resolution in the House, co-sponsored by former Rep. Matt Gaetz, calling for the government to drop charges against Edward Snowden.
The resolution argued that “The National Security Agency’s bulk collection telephone records program was illegal and unconstitutional. Edward Snowden’s disclosure of this program to journalists was in the public interest.”
The Journal dismissed this defense of Snowden, writing, “Oh, his disclosure of one NSA program to some trusted journalists? Is that all Ms. Gabbard believes Mr. Snowden did? The reality is that Mr. Snowden betrayed his oath by pilfering a massive cache of U.S. secrets, fleeing to Russia, and subsequently taking citizenship there.”
The editorial cited a 2016 House Intelligence Committee report, which found that most of the documents Snowden stole had nothing to do with NSA surveillance programs. Instead, they pertained to “military, defense, and intelligence programs of great interest to America’s adversaries.”
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Even Cotton himself, the board noted, has previously called Snowden an “egotistical serial liar and traitor” who “jeopardized the safety of Americans and allies around the world.” The Journal argued that Gabbard’s inability to recognize Snowden’s actions as harmful should be a disqualifying factor in her nomination.
“The question isn’t Ms. Gabbard’s patriotism. It’s judgment, and what message it would send friends and foes to confirm a director of national intelligence who doesn’t really seem to believe in protecting national intelligence,” the editorial concluded.
With Gabbard’s confirmation hearings expected to be contentious, her stance on national security and past statements about U.S. intelligence will likely come under further scrutiny, potentially jeopardizing her nomination.