‘Is Edward Snowden a Traitor?’ GOP Senator On Meet the Press Ducks the Same Question Tulsi Gabbard Repeatedly Dodged in Senate Hearing
“Is Edward Snowden a traitor?”
It’s a question which has reportedly put Tulsi Gabbard’s bid to become Director of National Intelligence in jeopardy — as she repeatedly refused to answer it during her confirmation hearing on Thursday. And Sunday morning on Meet the Press, a Republican senator did the same.
In the closing moments of an NBC interview Sunday, Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) twisted himself in knots to avoiding stating whether he considers Snowden — who stole more than a million classified documents — a traitor.
“Is Edward Snowden a traitor?” Welker asked.
“I think it’s so interesting that this lexicon that gets manipulated now,” Schmitt responded. “There were certain words that you needed to say during Covid. There are certain words that you need to say now. The fact of the matter is, the people who are most concerned, the most pushing this narrative are the same ones who had no issues whatsoever with the intelligence community spying on a presidential candidate that happened to be President Trump, suppressing the Hunter Biden laptop story when he was running again, and then, of course, the lawfare that included. So, I think people are tired of these games, of this sort of gotcha stuff. Look, if he’s, if he’s been indicted, he comes back to the States, he’s going to have a trial. But this idea we tried to disqualify using these terms is ridiculous.”
Welker replied by noting that Schmitt’s GOP colleagues — including Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) — were troubled by Gabbard’s refusal to brand Snowden a traitor.
“These are questions that were asked by your Republican colleagues, including Senator Lankford, who asked very simply, is he a traitor?” Welker said. “A government contractor who leaked government secrets? It’s a very simple question, yes or no?”
“I think she was pretty clear,” Schmitt said. “I think she’s pretty clear — that she’s served this country honorably. And I think it’s totally ridiculous to try to smear people who are trying to serve this country because, again, it’s sort of ‘gotcha.’ And I will also point out, a lot of the people that are asking this don’t like her because she’s going to bring reform. And she’s going to curb the excesses and the worst instincts of the intelligence community at times, that has gone after presidential candidates.
Watch above, via NBC.
