Sen. Schmitt dodges answering if Edward Snowden is a traitor
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Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., attends the Senate Judiciary Committee vote on the nomination of Pam Bondi to be Attorney General in the Hart Senate Office Building on Jan. 29. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) on Sunday mirrored ex-Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's nominee for director of national intelligence, when he dodged classifying Edward Snowden as a traitor.
Why it matters: Gabbard's refusal to call Snowden a traitor during her Senate confirmation hearing Thursday reportedly prompted some GOP discomfort.
What they're saying: Schmitt danced around the same question during a Sunday interview on "Meet the Press."
- "I think people are tired of these games, of sort of this 'gotcha' stuff. Look, he's [Snowden] been indicted," Schmitt said when pressed by NBC News' Kristen Welker. "If he ever comes back to the United States he's going to have a trial. But this idea of you trying to disqualify people by using these terms is ridiculous."
- When asked again about Snowden, Schmitt said: "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.'"
Catch up quick: Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) said that when he posed the question to Gabbard, for whom he has expressed his support, he expected it to be "an easy softball question."
- But when Lankford asked Gabbard if Snowden was a traitor for leaking highly classified information, the ex-Democrat did not give a yes-or-no answer.
- She instead said she would be "committed if confirmed as director of national intelligence to join you in making sure that there is no future Snowden-type leak."
The other side: Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), who sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on "Meet the Press" Sunday that he was "puzzled" by Gabbard's inability to call Snowden a traitor and found Schmitt's subsequent dodge "interesting."
- "I mean, the definition of a traitor's pretty simple," Kelly said. "I mean, whether or not somebody betrayed our country, and in the case of Edward Snowden we know he did."
- He added that he thinks many of his GOP colleagues "will still have questions about her nomination."
Between the lines: Schmitt said he is still "100%" a yes on Gabbard and predicted she will "do just fine" when senators gather to cast their votes. The Senate Intelligence Committee vote on Gabbard has not been scheduled.
- Elon Musk and the MAGA masses have also mobilized behind Gabbard, turning the heat on those who could tank her confirmation chances, including Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.).
- Media reports have indicated that Young is reluctant to vote for Gabbard, prompting Musk to accuse the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), an NGO where Young is a board member, of being "RIFE with CORRUPTION."
- An X account, which Musk retweeted, claimed Young's involvement with NED creates a conflict of interest when it comes to opposing Gabbard.
- But Musk posted later Sunday afternoon that he had an "excellent conversation" with Young, adding, "I stand corrected."
Go deeper: Snowden support threatens Tulsi Gabbard's Senate confirmation
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include comments from Sen. Mark Kelly and Musk.
