Tulsi Gabbard made it clear in her testimony to Congress earlier this year that Iran was not developing a nuclear weapon. According to the national intelligence director, Iran’s supreme leader had not reauthorized the country’s dormant nuclear weapons program.
Despite this, President Donald Trump dismissed the intelligence community’s evaluation during his overnight flight back to Washington, cutting short his attendance at the Group of Seven summit to address the escalating Israel-Iran conflict. “I don’t care what she said,” Trump told reporters, insisting that Iran was “very close” to acquiring a nuclear bomb.
Trump’s position aligned with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s warnings of an imminent nuclear threat from Iran, contrasting with the views of his top intelligence officials. The president planned to consult national security advisors in the Situation Room on Tuesday to determine next steps.
This public contradiction mirrors Trump’s earlier clashes with U.S. intelligence agencies, whom he accused of undermining his agenda as part of a “deep state.” Notably, in 2018, he sided with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s denial of election interference.
The split over Iran is notable since Trump’s current administration is staffed with loyalists, unlike his first term. Gabbard, a military veteran and former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii who left the party in 2022 and endorsed Trump, was narrowly confirmed by the Senate despite limited intelligence experience.
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Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe were expected to testify in a closed Capitol Hill session on Tuesday during a scheduled budget hearing, likely addressing Iran and Trump’s remarks. Neither Gabbard’s nor the CIA’s representatives immediately responded to requests for comment.
In March, Gabbard told lawmakers the intelligence community closely monitored Iran’s nuclear activities, noting Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile was at record levels for a non-nuclear weapons state. The International Atomic Energy Agency has warned Iran has enough enriched uranium to build several nuclear bombs if it chooses.
Iran maintains its nuclear program is peaceful.
A November intelligence report under President Joe Biden also stated Iran “is not building a nuclear weapon” but noted it was taking steps to be able to produce one, such as expanding uranium enrichment and operating advanced centrifuges. The report did not specify how quickly Iran could develop a bomb.
Trump’s immigration policies have also conflicted with intelligence findings. He cited a 1798 law to deport Venezuelan migrants, alleging links between the Tren de Aragua gang and the Venezuelan government, despite a recent intelligence assessment finding no such connection.
Gabbard dismissed two senior intelligence officers leading the panel that produced the assessment, attributing their firing to their opposition to Trump.
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In response, the White House issued a statement from Gabbard backing the president: “President Trump took necessary and historic action to safeguard our nation by deporting these violent Tren de Aragua terrorists. Now that America is safer, deep state actors have resorted to propaganda attacks against the President’s successful policies.”
Source: With inputs from agency