Having sided with Bashar al-Assad while a member of the Democratic Party, the former congresswoman's hard-right turn and sympathy for the Kremlin have the intelligence community deeply concerned. View

Gabbard replied that she had only meant to highlight the “egregiously illegal and unconstitutional programs” that Snowden had exposed—specifically NSA programs that intercepted communications of U.S. citizens—and that his leaks had led to “serious reforms.”

Tulsi Gabbard faced tough questions Thursday about past comments about Russia, Syria and government leaker Edward Snowden during a Senate confirmation hearing on her nomination to lead the U.S. intell