Washington, DC — Defending Rights & Dissent rejects comments by members of Congress and former intelligence officials stating that Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s past opposition to mass surveillance programs and the abuse of the Espionage Act against publisher Julian Assange and whistleblower Edward Snowden render her unfit to serve as Director of National Intelligence.
Nearly every civil liberties and human rights group has been united in their opposition to warrantless surveillance of Americans. Human rights and press freedom groups and nearly every major editorial board oppose the prosecutions of Assange and Snowden, citing the grave threat to press freedom these prosecutions.
Chip Gibbons, Policy Director for Defending Rights & Dissent, commented:
“According to surveillance hawks, defending constitutional rights is a threat to national security. The US intelligence community has a disturbing history of civil liberties and human rights abuses. Whatever conclusion one reaches about Rep. Gabbard’s overall fitness to serve as Director of National Intelligence, if much needed skepticism of the intelligence community or support for civil liberties becomes disqualifying for a DNI, America’s democracy is in deep trouble.
Rep. Gabbard’s recent reversal on unconstitutional surveillance of Americans’ communications under §702 surveillance of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. calls into question her commitment to civil liberties and helps to create a precedent that...
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