Who?

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) — Senate Judiciary Committee

LISTEN: Laslo & Whitehouse

Ask a Pol asks:

Do you think that Edward Snowden’s a traitor?

Key Whitehouse:

“I don’t think I have all the information to make that judgement, but it sure looks that way,” Sen. Whitehouse exclusively tells Ask a Pol.

ICYMI — Tuberville Avoids Comment on Snowden in Exclusive Interview

Caught our ear:

“What you’re seeing is an across the board, unilateral disarmament against Russian intelligence operations,” Whitehouse tells us. “When you put into the context of all the Trump-Russia stuff — that they pretend now that was a hoax — is really alarming. They are opening the doors to Russia’s malign operations.”

Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), slightly edited for clarity.

TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse

SCENE: After voting on the Senate floor, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse is making his way through the basement of the US Capitol when Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo grabs him for a quick interview before the senator hops an underground tram from the Capitol to the Senate Office Buildings across the street.

Matt Laslo: “Do you think Edward Snowden’s a traitor?”

Sheldon Whitehouse: “Uhm — I don’t think I have all the information to make that judgement, but it sure looks that way.”

ML: “Are you worried that — does it worry you more that [new-Director of National Intelligence Tulsi] Gabbard couldn’t even answer that question one way or another?”

SW: “I’m more worried that, if you look at, what Attorney General [Pam] Bondi has done with the anti-kleptocracy efforts, which are targeting Russian oligarchs heavily. If you look at what Patel is saying about degrading the FBI’s ‘intel shops,’ he called them and if you look at Tulsi Gabbard being the darling of RT [Russia Todayand editorialized about as a friend of Russia who should make the CIA and FBI tremble, what you’re seeing is an across the board, unilateral disarmament against Russian intelligence operations, which, when you put into the context of all the Trump-Russia stuff — that they pretend now that was a hoax — is really alarming. They are opening the doors to Russia’s malign operations.”

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ML: “Especially when it comes to Gabbard, you never see DNI, you never see her once she’s confirmed. She’ll be working in the shadows, so to speak...”

SW: “Well she — they do have to turn up at the Intelligence Committee.”

ML: “Yeah? Occasionally.”

The senator enters a tram.

ML: “Thank you sir.”

Nicolae Viorel Butler contributed to this report.

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