Summary

Republican senators are privately pushing to review Tulsi Gabbard’s FBI file amid concerns about her alignment with Russian interests following her nomination as Trump’s director of national intelligence.

Gabbard’s past support for Edward Snowden, who leaked U.S. state secrets, has drawn particular scrutiny, as has her history of echoing Russian talking points on Ukraine and Syria.

While GOP senators are publicly deferring to Trump’s pick, some, including Sens. Mike Rounds and Susan Collins, emphasize the importance of full background checks and hearings to address potential security risks.

  • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
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    6 days ago

    Gabbard’s past support for Edward Snowden

    Yeah, Republicans WOULD be upset about her only correct stance, even if it’s a past one 🤦

    • agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works
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      4 days ago

      Whether or not you agree with notorious intelligence leaks, and I’m not saying I don’t, it’s not a great look for the Director of National Intelligence to support the leaking of sensitive intelligence documents.

      • Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world
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        4 days ago

        Well, the sensitive intelligence documents showed that the NSA was interpreting the law in a way that goes way beyond what Congress allowed.

        Having someone at the top that agrees that their department has limits regarding the US constitution is prepared to enforce those limits does NOT sound like a bad thing.

        • agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works
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          4 days ago

          Sure, but that doesn’t change the fact that it was a breach of security.

          It’s like applying for bank security after praising Pretty Boy Floyd.

          • Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world
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            4 days ago

            it was a breach of security.

            Agreed, and that’s on the NSA and it’s processes that need fixing. Not Snowden.

            Also, in this case it’s like praising Pretty Boy Floyd for reporting to it’s customers that a bank was lying about how much gold it had in its vaults.

              • Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world
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                4 days ago

                If you thank the person for telling the world that the bank is crooked, why can’t you then be responsible for ensuring that the bank stops being crooked?

                  • Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world
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                    4 days ago

                    If tulsi thinks the breach was justified because the internal whistle-blowing processes at the NSA were not functioning correctly, then there is no trust issue.

                    She can ensure better processes exist.

                    If the intelligence apparatus is performing unconstitutional actions then a breach is justified.

    • GreenKnight23@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      face it man, Snowden is a Russian asset at this point.

      he didn’t start out that way be given the options of tea, window, or sabotage he chose sabotage.

        • Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world
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          4 days ago

          What would you have done differently

          Traveled under a fake ID. People do it in films and TV all the time. Not sure how practical that is in reality though.

          • LavenderDay3544@lemmy.world
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            4 days ago

            Real life is not like TV. High quality counterfeit papers that stand up to scrutiny are very hard to get. The only way to get ones that are guaranteed to work is by having someone at the state department who can issue them or buying them from someone with those kind of connections. And the odds are good that the fads have honeypots set up to catch people trying to get fake documents.

        • GreenKnight23@lemmy.world
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          4 days ago

          I wouldn’t have done anything differently.

          Just pointing it out because so many have a fetish to make him a hero even after he’s helped the guy who wants to destroy our nation.

        • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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          5 days ago

          Quietly quit because his whistle was never going to stop that kind of surveillance. If you held a gun to my head and said I had to leak then NYTimes and WaPo would get the relevant slide deck and I’d stand my day in court knowing I’d probably have my sentence commuted after several years.

          He chose the literal worst option.

        • GreenKnight23@lemmy.world
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          5 days ago

          no. Assange cares only for Assange.

          Snowden cared about Americans once, but was abandoned by his nation to a corrupt government.

          he’s an unwilling Russian asset now, think of it like indentured servitude for his life.

          • WaxedWookie@lemmy.world
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            5 days ago

            Are you able to point to actions that Snowden has taken to negatively impact the interests of the US people or to materially aid Russia?

            • GreenKnight23@lemmy.world
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              4 days ago

              no, and I don’t have to.

              It is my opinion after all.

              we’re allowed to share those on here still, right?

              edit: did I hurt all the snowbunnie feewings?

              Boohoo

              • Exatron@lemmy.world
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                5 days ago

                It’s not unreasonable to ask someone to elaborate or justify their opinion, kiddo.

              • Yawweee877h444@lemmy.world
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                4 days ago

                You weren’t stating it as opinion, you were stating it as if it’s objective fact.

                Very big difference in wording.

                • GreenKnight23@lemmy.world
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                  4 days ago

                  I think you might be confused. it’s not your fault.

                  unless someone provides evidence, it should always be considered an opinion. that’s how the world used to work.

                  now everyone just reads all comments as facts instead of using their cognitive ability to read and comprehend. it’s not your fault that the Internet made your brain lazy.

                  • Yawweee877h444@lemmy.world
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                    4 days ago

                    You are a child. Or at minimum, very childish.

                    I recommend swallowing your extremely overinflated pride/ego, and growing up a bit.

              • aeshna_cyanea@lemm.ee
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                4 days ago

                The question of whether someone works for a government is not really a matter of opinion

                • GreenKnight23@lemmy.world
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                  4 days ago

                  I’ll give you a legitimate response since I’ve got the time while taking the Browns to the Super Bowl.

                  opinions are varied and limitless as the ideas that feed them. One can have opinions on opinions!

                  so, when the neurons in your brain were firing on all cylinders to come up with your question, did you actually think that one couldn’t have an opinion on something as menial and useless as, “whether someone works for a government”?

                  I have many opinions, some are rather good, others not so much.

                  for example, my opinion of you isn’t very good.

              • WaxedWookie@lemmy.world
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                4 days ago

                Not triggered in the slightest - I thought there might be something to learn. Thanks for clarifying that it was nothing more than the baseless opinion of a fragile moron.

                • GreenKnight23@lemmy.world
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                  3 days ago

                  if you were a firearm you would be decommissioned for premature firing.

                  Your trigger is so loose, a stiff breeze sets it off.

                  • WaxedWookie@lemmy.world
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                    3 days ago

                    It’d take something a little stronger than the opinion of infamous kid fucker GreenKnight23 to pull my trigger, champ.

            • GreenKnight23@lemmy.world
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              4 days ago

              that’s besides the point. he’s there and it’s death or sell out national secrets.

              I get it, doesn’t make him any less of a Russian asset.

              • Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world
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                4 days ago

                His internal knowledge of the CIA and NSA gained as a contractor is an American liability.

                That doesn’t necessarily make him a Russian Asset.

                • GreenKnight23@lemmy.world
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                  4 days ago

                  do you honesty believe that Putin would allow him to live as long as he has in Russia without some form of cooperation? I mean, the guy outlived the “thorn in Americans side” trope about five years ago.

                  The only logical conclusion I can come to is that he’s selling strategic processes and how Americans think for his safety.

                  if you disagree why do you think Putin has allowed him to stay alive this long?

                  • Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world
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                    3 days ago

                    do you honesty believe that Putin would allow him to live as long as he has in Russia without some form of cooperation? I mean, the guy outlived the “thorn in Americans side” trope about five years ago.

                    No, I think the NSA are still embarrassed.

                    The only logical conclusion I can come to is that he’s selling strategic processes and how Americans think for his safety.

                    How many relevant strategic secrets do you think Snowden has after 11 years out of the game. Remember all his documents were passed to journalists. He retained none.