Gabbard's past praise of Snowden drew particularly harsh questions during her confirmation hearing. Snowden, a former National Security Agency contractor, fled to Russia after he was charged with revealing classified information about U.S. surveillance programs.
Gabbard said, while Snowden disclosed important facts about such programs that she believes are unconstitutional, he violated rules about protecting classified secrets.
"Edward Snowden broke the law," she said.
Gabbard's 2017 visit with Assad was another flashpoint. He was recently deposed following a brutal civil war in which he was accused of using chemical weapons.