Tulsi Gabbard, who is President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to be Director of National Intelligence (DNI) in his next administration, has reversed course on a controversial item after lobbying from Republican senators.
Gabbard revealed on Friday that she believes section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) “is crucial for gathering foreign intelligence on non-U.S. persons abroad.”
She previously opposed FISA section 702 re-authorization while serving as a Democrat in the House of Representatives.
Gabbard announced a change in her position on FISA’s section 702. (Getty Images)
“We have a very important responsibility to strike a balance between national security to keep the American people safe, while also protecting our constitutionally protected freedoms,” she said on the House floor in 2018. “Let us make this critical choice. Vote to keep our country safe. Vote to uphold our constitutional rights that so many have fought and died to protect.”
In her statement, provided by a Trump transition spokesperson, Gabbard said, “This unique capability cannot be replicated and must be safeguarded to protect our nation while ensuring the civil liberties of Americans.”
“My prior concerns about FISA were based on insufficient protections for civil liberties, particularly regarding the FBI’s misuse of warrantless search powers on American citizens. Significant FISA reforms have been enacted since my time in Congress to address these issues. If confirmed as DNI, I will uphold Americans’ Fourth Amendment rights while maintaining vital national security tools like Section 702 to ensure the safety and freedom of the American people,” she said.
The change in Gabbard’s beliefs on the key national security issue was first reported by Punchbowl News.
It comes after multiple Republican senators made the case to her of the importance of FISA’s section 702.
REPUBLICANS BLAST ‘JOKE’ SENTENCING OF TRUMP 10 DAYS BEFORE SWEARING IN
Trump tapped Gabbard to be director of national intelligence. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, told Fox News Digital in a statement: “Tulsi Gabbard has assured me in our conversations that she supports Section 702 as recently amended and that she will follow the law and support its reauthorization as DNI.”
One GOP aide shared that…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at FOX News : Politics…