WATCH: Sen. Ossoff’s full line of questioning
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff, a member of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee, today pressed the Director of National Intelligence on conflicting reports about the “imminent threat” Iran posed to the United States.
Today, in a U.S. Senate Intelligence Hearing, Sen. Ossoff pressed Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, about her statement that as a result of last summer’s air strikes, “Iran’s nuclear enrichment program was obliterated,” and that “there has been no efforts since then to try to rebuild their enrichment capability.”
However, President Trump and the White House have seemingly contradicted those statements, saying on March 1 that the Iran war was “a military campaign to eliminate the imminent nuclear threat posed by the Iranian regime.”
In response to Director Gabbard’s evasive answers, Sen. Ossoff said, “No, you’re evading a question because to provide a candid response to the committee would contradict a statement from the White House.”
Director Gabbard later said, “It is not the Intelligence Community’s responsibility to determine what is and is not an imminent threat.”
Later, Sen. Ossoff pressed Director Gabbard over her role in the FBI’s raid on the Fulton County Elections Office.
Director Gabbard testified that she “oversaw” “portions of [the raid]” and that President Trump asked her to go to Georgia “the day of the raid, the warrant execution commencing.”
Sen. Ossoff also announced that members of the Senate Intelligence Committee have opened inquiries into and asked questions about Gabbard’s election-related activities and that Gabbard’s General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel have already provided testimony to the Committee.
Click here to watch Sen. Ossoff’s full line of questioning.
Please find a transcript of Sen. Ossoff’s line of questioning below:
SEN. OSSOFF: “I want to call everyone’s attention again to this fundraising email signed by the President that Senator Kelly mentioned earlier, in which the President of the United States invites his campaign donors to ‘claim your spot.’ ‘Claim your spot. Join now to receive private national security briefings,’ to his political donors, featuring a photo of the President at a dignified transfer ceremony with a flag-draped coffin of an American servicemember killed in action, returning to their family and the American people need to know that the President of the United States is fundraising for his political campaign and his PAC using images of American servicemembers killed in action, and it’s a disgrace.”
SEN. OSSOFF: “Now, Director Gabbard, I’d like to re-ground this in your core responsibilities: under the law, you are responsible for providing national intelligence to the President, correct?”
DIR. GABBARD: “Yes.”
SEN. OSSOFF: “And to the heads of Executive Branch departments and agencies, yes?”
DIR. GABBARD: “Yes.”
SEN. OSSOFF: “And to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and senior military commanders?”
DIR. GABBARD: “Across the IC, yes.”
SEN. OSSOFF: “And to the Senate and the House and relevant Committees, correct?”
DIR. GABBARD: “Yes.”
SEN. OSSOFF: “And the law states that the national intelligence you provide to Congress, ‘should be timely, objective and independent of political considerations,’ correct?”
DIR. GABBARD: “Yes.”
SEN. OSSOFF: “And you noted in your opening statement, you’re here fulfilling a statutory responsibility, and that your testimony, ‘represents the IC’s assessment of threats,’ correct?
DIR. GABBARD: “That’s right.”
SEN. OSSOFF: “That opening statement, as submitted to the Committee in advance of this hearing, stated that as a result of last summer’s airstrikes, ‘Iran’s nuclear enrichment program was obliterated,’ correct?”
DIR. GABBARD: “That’s right.”
SEN. OSSOFF: “And is that, in fact, the assessment of the Intelligence Community?”
DIR. GABBARD: “Yes.”
SEN. OSSOFF: “So the assessment of the Intelligence Community is that Iran’s nuclear enrichment program was obliterated by last summer’s airstrikes?”
DIR. GABBARD: “Yes.”
SEN. OSSOFF: “In the opening statement you submitted to the Committee last night also stated, ‘there has been no effort since then to try to rebuild their enrichment capability,’ correct?”
DIR. GABBARD: “That’s right”
SEN. OSSOFF: “And that’s the assessment of the Intelligence Community?”
DIR. GABBARD: “Yes.”
SEN. OSSOFF: “The White House stated on March 1st of this year that this war was launched and was, ‘a military campaign to eliminate the imminent nuclear threat posed by the Iranian regime.’ That’s a statement from the White House. ‘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?”
DIR. GABBARD: “The Intelligence Community assessed that Iran maintained the intention to rebuild and to continue to grow their nuclear enrichment capabilities.”
SEN. OSSOFF: “Was it the assessment of the Intelligence Community that there was a, ‘imminent nuclear threat posed by the Iranian regime?’ Yes or no?”
DIR. GABBARD: “Senator, the only person who can determine what is and is not an imminent threat is the President ––”
SEN. OSSOFF: “False.”
DIR. GABBARD: “–– and he made that determination.”
SEN. OSSOFF: “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 ‘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, ‘imminent nuclear threat posed by the Iranian regime?’ Yes or no?”
DIR. GABBARD: “It is not the Intelligence Community’s responsibility to determine what is and is not an imminent threat ––”
SEN. OSSOFF: “Okay, here’s the problem ––”
DIR. GABBARD: “That is up to the President based on a volume of information that he receives.”
SEN. OSSOFF: “No, 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, ‘you represent the IC’s assessment of threats.’ You are here to ‘represent the IC’s assessment of threats.’ That’s a quote from your own opening statement. And so, my question is, as you’re here to present the IC’s assessment of threats, was it the assessment of the Intelligence Community that, as the White House claimed on March 1st, there was a, ‘imminent nuclear threat posed by the Iranian regime.’ Yes or no?”
DIR. GABBARD: “Once again, Senator, the Intelligence Community has provided the inputs that make up this annual threat assessment ––”
SEN. OSSOFF: “You won’t answer the question.”
DIR. GABBARD: “It is the nature of the imminent threat that the President has to make that determination based on a collection and volume of information intelligence that he is provided with.
SEN. OSSOFF: “You’re here to be timely, objective, and independent of political consideration.”
DIR. GABBARD: “Exactly what I’m doing.”
SEN. OSSOFF: “No, you’re evading a question because to provide a candid response to the Committee would contradict a statement from the White House.”
SEN. OSSOFF: “Let me ask you about your presence in Fulton County on January 28th of this year. You were present at the FBI’s raid on the Fulton County elections office on January 28th, correct?”
DIR. GABBARD: “I was present for part of the FBI exercising a warrant approved by a municipal judge to obtain ––”
SEN. OSSOFF: “Yes, and the FBI was there executing –– the FBI was there executing that warrant to seize ballots and materials associated with the 2020 election, correct?”
DIR. GABBARD: “Yes.”
SEN. OSSOFF: “And are you aware that members of this Committee have already opened inquiries into your election-related activities?”
DIR. GABBARD: “Yes.”
SEN. OSSOFF: “And are you aware that your General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel have already provided testimony to this committee regarding those activities?”
DIR. GABBARD: “Yes.”
SEN. OSSOFF: “On February 2nd, you sent a letter to Senator Warner regarding your presence at the raid. Was that letter accurate?”
DIR. GABBARD: “I don’t recall the exact date, but if I sent a letter that had my signature, it was accurate.”
SEN. OSSOFF: “You stated in the letter that your presence at the raid was ‘requested by the President’, correct?”
DIR. GABBARD: “Yes.”
SEN. OSSOFF: “When did the President request your presence at the raid?”
DIR. GABBARD: “The day of the raid, the warrant execution commencing.”
SEN. OSSOFF: “The day of the raid?”
DIR. GABBARD: “Yes.”
SEN. OSSOFF: “He called you on the phone?”
DIR. GABBARD: “I’m not going to disclose how the message was delivered, but it was a request from the President and his administration to go and help oversee this warrant being executed, along with the Deputy Director of the FBI, and to thank the FBI agents who were conducting this raid.”
SEN. OSSOFF: “Is it your role to oversee the execution of criminal warrants?”
DIR. GABBARD: “It is my role, based on statute that Congress has passed, to have oversight over election security, to include counterintelligence.”
SEN. OSSOFF: “But you said you oversaw the raid, correct? You just testified you oversaw the raid.”
DIR. GABBARD: “Portions of it.”
SEN. OSSOFF: “Okay. Did you handle any ballots or election related materials?”
DIR. GABBARD: “No.”
SEN. OSSOFF: “You were inside an FBI evidence truck, correct?
DIR. GABBARD: “Uh?”
SEN. OSSOFF: “You were photographed inside an FBI evidence truck.”
DIR. GABBARD: “It was an empty truck, yes.”
SEN. OSSOFF: “The President stated, ‘you looked at votes he wanted be checked out.’ Is that accurate?”
SEN. COTTON: “Senator’s time is expired. The Senator’s time is expired.”
SEN. OSSOFF: “Did you look at votes as the President stated?”
SEN. COTTON: “Senator Ossoff, your time is expired.”
SEN. OSSOFF: “Can you respond for the record?”
SEN. COTTON: “You can have her –– No, she cannot respond because ––”
SEN. OSSOFF: “No, for the record. Will the Director please respond for the record to that question is my direct question.”
DIR. GABBARD: “I’m happy to respond to questions for the record.”
SEN. OSSOFF: “Thank you, Director Gabbard.”
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