Democratic Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff pressed Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard at a hearing Wednesday on whether Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States.
In a Tuesday X post announcing his resignation, Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) Joe Kent said that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to America that would justify Operation Epic Fury. At Wednesday’s Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, Gabbard stated that President Donald Trump is the sole individual empowered to make such a determination.
WATCH:
“Was it the assessment of the Intelligence Community [IC] that there was a, quote, imminent nuclear threat posed by the Iranian regime?” Ossoff asked. “Yes or no?”
“Senator, the only person who can determine what is and is not an imminent threat is the president,” Gabbard said. “And he made that determination.”
Ossoff interrupted Gabbard, calling her assertion “false.”
“This is the worldwide threats hearing where you present to Congress national intelligence, timely, objective, and independent of political considerations,” he said. “You’ve stated today that the Intelligence Community’s assessment is that Iran’s nuclear enrichment program was obliterated, and that, quote, there had been no efforts since then, to try to rebuild their enrichment capability. Was it the Intelligence Community’s assessment that nevertheless, despite this obliteration, there was a, quote, imminent nuclear threat posed by the Iranian regime?”
Ossoff requested a yes or no answer, but Gabbard declined to provide one and repeated her claim.
“It is not the Intelligence Community’s responsibility to determine what is and is not an imminent threat,” she said. “That is up to the president based on a volume of information that he receives.”
“It is precisely your responsibility to determine what constitutes a threat to the United States. This is the worldwide threats hearing where, as you noted in your opening testimony, quote, you represent the IC’s assessment of threats,” Ossoff said. “You are here to represent the IC’s assessment of threats. That’s a quote from your own opening statement.”
The senator again asked whether the IC assessed Iran as an imminent threat to the U.S., but Gabbard refused to answer.
“You’re here to be timely, objective and independent of political consideration,” Ossoff said.
Gabbard claimed she was doing just that, but Ossoff disagreed.
“No, you’re evading a question because to provide a candid response to the committee would contradict a statement from the White House,” the senator said.
Trump responded to Kent’s resignation after Daily Caller White House correspondent Reagan Reese asked about it in the Oval Office on Tuesday.
“Well, I always thought he was a nice guy, but I always thought he was weak on security, very weak on security. I didn’t know him well, but I thought he seemed like a pretty nice guy,” Trump said. “But when I read his statement I realized, it’s a good thing that he’s out because he said that Iran was not a threat. Iran was a threat, every country realized what a threat Iran was. The question was whether or not they wanted to do something.”
Gabbard has made previous statements opposing war with Iran.
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