Tulsi Gabbard stuns senator by saying it's not her job to 'determine what is ... an imminent threat' to the US [View all]

Source: The Independent

Wednesday 18 March 2026 19:49 EDT


Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard pointedly refused to say whether Iran presented an “imminent” nuclear threat to America before the U.S. launched its war, angering Democratic senators during an intelligence hearing on Wednesday. “The only person who can determine what is and is not an imminent threat is the president,” Gabbard said during questioning from Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia.

The committee continued to press Gabbard over what the intelligence community concluded about Iran’s nuclear program before the war, given that a written version of her statement said Iran’s nuclear capabilities had been “obliterated” with “no efforts since” to rebuild after U.S. strikes last year.

“It is not the intelligence community’s responsibility to determine what is and is not an imminent threat,” Gabbard said. “That is up to the president, based on the volume of information that he receives.”

Gabbard’s statements inspired a sharp response from Ossoff, who cut in and said, “It is precisely your responsibility to determine what consists of a threat to the United States.” He accused Gabbard of “evading a question because to provide a candid response to the committee would contradict a statement from the White House.”

Read more: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/tulsi-gabbard-iran-threat-nuclear-ossoff-b2941413.html