During the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing Wednesday, DNI chief Tulsi Gabbard refused to respond when asked if the intelligence community confirmed Iran was an imminent threat to the United States, instead deferring her one main responsibility to the whims of Donald Trump.
The intelligence community's main function is to assess threat levels against the United States and its interests. They pool their data together and then advise the president on what that intelligence shows.
Like the Republican-led Congress, which has abdicated its role as a co-equal branch of the federal government, Gabbard shirked her own responsibility as the Director of National Intelligence rather than telling the truth.
Sen. John Ossoff tore her to shreds.
OSSOFF: The White House stated on March 1st of this year that this war was launched and was, quote, a military campaign to eliminate the imminent nuclear threat posed by the Iranian regime, end quote.
That's a statement from the White House, quote, the imminent nuclear threat posed by the Iranian regime.
Was it the assessment of the intelligence community that there was an imminent nuclear threat posed by the Iranian regime?
GABBARD: The intelligence community assessed that Iran maintained the intention to rebuild and to continue to grow their nuclear enrichment capability.
OSSOFF: Was it the assessment of the intelligence community that there was a, quote, imminent nuclear threat posed by the Iranian regime, yes or no?
GABBARD: Senator, the only person who can determine what is and is not an imminent threat is the president.
OSSOFF: False.
Gabbard's responses were insane.
Sen. Ossoff pressed on.
OSSOFF: This is the worldwide, this is the worldwide threats hearing where you present to Congress national intelligence, timely, objective, and independent of political considerations.
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, yes or no?
GABBARD: It is not the intelligence community's responsibility to determine what is and is not an imminent threat.
That is up to the president based on a volume of information that he receives.
OSSOFF: No, it is, it is precisely, it is precisely your responsibility to determine what constitutes a threat to the United States.
Donald Trump routinely refuses his daily briefings. It's unfathomable that a competent DNI would drop massive amounts of intelligence on Trump's desk, or any president for that matter, without highlighting and giving an assessment of what the intelligence yields.
Trump's attention span is that of a ten year old child. Even if Trump was capable of reading their findings, it would take him months to wade through the reports.
Gabbard deferred to Demented Donald as if he was a king.
Sen. Ossoff had enough. "No, you're evading a question because to provide a candid response to the committee would contradict a statement from the White House."
Trump cabinet members and agency leaders are forced to lie to Congress on a routine basis.
I'm humiliated as an American citizen to watch the Director of National Intelligence act like a mindless, spineless jellyfish.
