Free Expression Groups Tell Senate Committee to Push Patel on Press Freedom
January 30, 2025
Civil Liberties Groups to Senate: Upholding the Constitution Should Not Disqualify Nominees
January 30, 2025Opposition to Snowden and Assange Prosecutions, Mass Surveillance Should Not be Disqualifying for Director of National Intelligence
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 nominees must abandon opposition to illegal surveillance to be confirmed.”
Defending Rights & Dissent has not taken a position on. Gabbard’s nomination. When she was in Congress, Defending Rights & Dissent worked with her on The Brave Whistleblowers Act of 2020, designed to prevent the abuse of the Espionage Act against whistleblowers like Snowden.
Defending Rights & Dissent is a national civil liberties organization that defends the American people’s right to know and freedom to act through grassroots mobilization, public education, policy expertise, and advocacy journalism.
