During her tenure in Congress, Gabbard walked a fine line on military policy, advocating for a stronger stance against terrorism while also championing non-interventionism. She pushed for pardons for Edward Snowden and Julian Assange, figures who leaked classified U.S. intelligence documents.
A Tense Confirmation Hearing
At her Jan. 30 Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, Gabbard faced tough questioning over her stance on surveillance laws and past statements about Russia.
Notably, she declined to label Snowden a “traitor”, stating that while she didn’t agree with all of his actions, he had exposed “egregious illegal and unconstitutional programs.”
She also walked back her previous call to repeal Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)—a controversial law that allows warrantless surveillance of foreign targets but also captures Americans’ communications.
“Safeguards must be in place to protect Americans’ civil liberties,” she said. “But eliminating Section 702 would leave us blind to critical national security threats.”
Russia, Ukraine, and Disputed Claims
Gabbard was also pressed on her prior support for Russia’s justification of its 2022 Ukraine invasion. At the time, she cited unverified claims that U.S.-funded bioweapons labs in Ukraine posed a threat to Russia—a claim debunked by the U.S. Department of Defense as part of a Russian disinformation campaign.
