Sen. Collins to Support Gabbard’s Nomination as Director of National Intelligence

February 3, 2025 TruthUSA

The Republican senator from Maine stated that the nominee ‘addressed my concerns regarding her views on Edward Snowden.’

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) declared on February 3 that she will back former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination for director of national intelligence (DNI), which gives Gabbard a crucial vote.

“After thorough consideration of her nomination, I will support Tulsi Gabbard as the director of national intelligence,” Collins expressed in a statement.

Collins noted that Gabbard would restore the office of DNI “to its intended size.” During the hearing, it was pointed out that the office, responsible for overseeing America’s 18 intelligence agencies, has become extensive in terms of personnel.

The senator further mentioned that Gabbard, a former Democrat who served in the House from Hawaii for eight years, “addressed my concerns regarding her views on Edward Snowden.”

During last week’s Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Gabbard’s nomination, her previous remarks about Snowden were questioned. Snowden, who leaked U.S. national security secrets in 2013, is currently in Russia under asylum. Gabbard repeatedly declined to label Snowden as a traitor when asked.

She stated that the DNI should be “focused on the future and how we can prevent another incident like this from occurring.” While she acknowledged that Snowden “broke the law,” she emphasized the need for future solutions.

In addition, Gabbard expressed the necessity to avoid “another Snowden-type leak.”

“I’ve proposed specific actions that I would take if confirmed as DNI to achieve that,” she stated.

During the hearing, her previous positions on Russia and Syria were also scrutinized. Gabbard addressed her 2017 meeting with former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, mentioning that she discussed his use of chemical weapons against his own citizens. She has claimed that Assad is “not the enemy of the United States.”

Regarding the Russia–Ukraine war, she previously assigned blame to Ukraine and NATO for the conflict.

“This war and suffering could have easily been avoided if the Biden administration and NATO had simply recognized Russia’s legitimate security concerns,” she wrote on the social media site X in February 2022, soon after the invasion.

However, during her confirmation hearing, Gabbard stated that Russia is at fault.

If just one Republican joins all Democrats on the committee in voting against advancing Gabbard’s nomination, it could lead to its rejection in committee, although the full Senate could still confirm her.

The GOP holds a 53–47 lead in the Senate and can afford to lose three members if no Democrats support Gabbard. Vice President JD Vance would cast the tie-breaking vote if needed.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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