At Gabbard’s Confirmation Hearing, Edward Snowden May Loom Large

Tulsi Gabbard’s past statements on Syria, Russia, Ukraine and warrantless spying have all given Republican senators pause. But for some lawmakers another issue looms just as large: Edward Snowden, the former government contractor who released reams of classified data on American surveillance programs in 2013 and then fled to Russia.

While in Congress, Ms. Gabbard introduced legislation that would have offered additional whistle-blower protections for people, like Mr. Snowden, accused of violating the Espionage Act. Working with Matt Gaetz, who was then a Florida congressman, she also introduced legislation that called on the charges against Mr. Snowden to be dropped.

Ms. Gabbard is now President Trump’s pick to oversee the nation’s spy agencies as the director of national intelligence. At her confirmation on Thursday, senators plan to press her on a range of issues, including Mr. Snowden.

Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine and one of the lawmakers who will be questioning Ms. Gabbard, said Mr. Snowden’s disclosures “jeopardized people who were helping us.”

“One of my greatest concerns is how she views Edward Snowden in light of the resolution that she co-authored with Matt Gaetz calling for all criminal charges against him, which were extremely serious and involved sharing highly classified information with our adversaries, to be dropped,” Ms. Collins said.

In the face of such skepticism, Ms. Gabbard is expected to distance herself from Mr. Snowden at her confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee, according to a person briefed on her plans. Ms. Gabbard plans to say that she believes Mr. Snowden’s disclosures hurt the intelligence community and national security, the person said.