Snowden speaks out on Gabbard confirmation battle

Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden defended former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (Hawaii), President Trump's nominee to be director of national intelligence, following a fiery confirmation hearing in the Senate on Thursday.

"Her sin is that she told the truth about the government spying on Americans, and for that she is getting absolutely persecuted," Snowden wrote in a post on the social platform X, paraphrasing comments made by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) during a Fox News appearance on Thursday, which he shared video of with his followers.

During her confirmation hearing, lawmakers grilled Gabbard over her views on Snowden and his theft of more than a million classified documents.

Gabbard responded by saying she is “focused on the future and how we can prevent something like this from happening again,” in reference to Snowden's leaking of classified documents.

Several GOP senators told The Hill after the hearing Gabbard's confirmation could be on shaky ground, with one saying “people are holding their cards pretty close to the vest" on her nomination.

Snowden, who has been a vocal critic of the national intelligence community since fleeing the country, wrote in another social media post earlier this week that Gabbard will be "required to disown all prior support for whistleblowers as a condition of confirmation today."

"I encourage her to do so," he said. "Tell them I harmed national security and the sweet, soft feelings of staff. In D.C., that's what passes for the pledge of allegiance."

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