Washington, DC, Tolsi Gabbard, President Donald Trump’s candidate for the Director of National Intelligence, faced difficult questions from the United States in its previous position Edward Snowden.

In a confirmation session on Thursday, Senate members also disturbed Gabbard during a 2017 visit to Syria, where she met the President of then Bashar al -Assad.

Gabbard was a former member of the Hawaiian Democratic Congress, frankly against overlapping foreign policy.

I ran in vain to the president in 2020, and two years later, she left the Democratic Party, and they were “elite of school owners.”

Later on the campaigns for Republican candidates, including Trump.

If confirmed, Gabdard will Be the head of the US intelligence community, which consists of 18 agencies, including the FBI and the CIA. It will also issue and advise the president on security issues.

Gabbard is one of the many controversial candidates that Trump appointed in major sites Trump chooses.

Gabbard faced her first test as a candidate in front of the skeptical lawmakers of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday. Here are some major meals from the session:

Snowden, Snowden, Snowden

Many Democrats and even some Republicans in the committee summoned the previous Gabbard data that support Snowden, a former National Security Agency who leakes documents on collective monitoring programs in the United States government.

In 2020, an American court found that the monitoring of SNODEN, including the collection of phone records, was illegal.

Snowden, who initially fled to Hong Kong, was granted asylum in Russia after the United States government canceled his passport.

Gabbard previously described Snowden as a “brave” whose violations are “brave”, and in 2020, she participated in the care of a Home Urging the US government to drop all charges against Snowden.

On Thursday, Gabbard was strongly interrogated about this situation. Democratic Senator Michael Bennett asked her several times whether Snowden is a traitor.

The former members of Congress refused to say that. I walked on a thin line by emphasizing that Snowden broke the law and that she did not agree with his actions while not fully condemned.

She said: “The truth is that – even when the law broke – issued information that revealed terrible, illegal and unconstitutional programs.”

Gabbard, who served in the American army and is still as an open army, has confirmed that it had never leaked from secret information.

Earlier on Thursday, Snowden suggested that Gabbard should take off to secure her confirmation.

“I told them that I have harmed national security and the feelings of soft soft employees,” he wrote in a post on social media. “In the capital, this is what passes through loyalty.”

Tulsi Gabbard will be asked to donate all the previous support for those who report violations as a condition for confirmation today. Encourage her to do so. Tell them that I have harmed national security and soft employees. In the capital, this is going through loyalty pledge. pic.twitter.com/z1omohgvu

Edward Snowden (SNOWDEN) January 30, 2025

Assad’s meeting

Another case that continued to appear during the hearing is Gabbard’s 2017 trip to Syria and Lebanon.

Gabbard met with Assad at a time when the United States was inviting him to step down the atrocities committed by his government.

“I have asked him difficult questions about his regime’s actions, and use Chemical weapons And the brutal tactics that were used against its people. “

Gabbard also denied the meeting with any Hezbollah officials while he was in Lebanon.

When asked if the meeting with Assad was a good judgment, Gabbard said yes.

“I think the leaders – whether you are in Congress or the President of the United States – can benefit greatly by going and involving shoes on the ground, learning, listening and meeting directly with people, whether they are specialists or friends,” she said. .

Gabbard said her main interest was the Syrian rebels “extremist.”

The former members of Congress also criticized the leadership of the new Syria, consisting of former rebels who overthrew the Assad government in December.

She described the fall of Assad as “the sudden acquisition of Syria by Islamic extremists.”

Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), the main rebel group that seized Damascus last year, has relations with al-Qaeda. HTS leader Ahmed Al -Sharra is now Transitional From Syria.

The United States previously presented a reward for capturing the Sharra, however It has been canceled After US officials visited him in Damascus in December.

A pro -Trump message

In her opening statements, Gabbard gave a gesture to the president who nominated her, prompting Trump’s allegations that he was targeting intelligence officials for political reasons.

The foreign monitoring note, which the authorities used to survey Trump’s assistant before the 2016 elections while investigating the possible relations between the Trump and Russia campaign.

She said: “The American people were elected by Donald Trump as their president, not once, but twice.”

“However, the FBI and Intelligence Agencies have been politicized by his opponents to undermine his presidency and depicting him as a doll from Putin.”

She pledged to provide “unbiased” results to Trump, saying that “weapons” intelligence could lead to severe consequences. Gabbard 2003 was killed by the United States The invasion of IraqWhich was based on false reports that the country has weapons of mass destruction.

“This catastrophic decision led to the death of tens of thousands of American soldiers, millions of people in the Middle East, collective migration, destabilizing, undermining the security and stability of our European allies, the rise of ISIS, the strengthening of al -Qaeda and other Islamic jihadist groups and the strengthening of Iran.