CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Drops Gutpunching Side-by-Side Trump Vs. Intel Video Receipts

CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins hit President Donald Trump with uncomfortable side-by-side video receipts of his top officials contradicting him about the Iran war at hearings.

Trump Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and other Trump intelligence officials testified on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, and faced heated questioning over the Iran war and Trump’s various claims about the conflict.

On Wednesday night’s edition of CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins, Collins called out the contradictions between Trump and his national security officials — punctuated by a hard-hitting video presentation:

KAITLAN COLLINS: And today, the officials who are responsible for compiling that intelligence for the president appeared on Capitol Hill. There were notable instances in which they either contradicted or declined to back up some of the president’s claims about Iran, though.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: After Midnight Hammer, they were warned to make no future attempts to rebuild their weapons program and in particular nuclear weapons. Yet they continue, they’re starting it all over.

They rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions, and we can’t take it anymore. Instead, they attempted to rebuild their nuclear program.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: OK. So now you’ve heard what the President has been arguing, just to refresh everyone’s memories.

His top intelligence official, who is the Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, wrote in her prepared opening statement for Congress today this, I’m going to read it to you. She said, As a result of Operation Midnight Hammer — which was the strikes last summer — Iran’s nuclear enrichment program was obliterated. There has been no efforts since then to try to rebuild their enrichment capability.

Now the reason I’m reading you that part of the statement, rather than playing the sound bite for you, is because Director Gabbard actually did not say that part when she was in front of the cameras and in front of Congress today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARK WARNER (D-VA): In your printed testimony today on page six and your last paragraph on page six, As a result of Operation Midnight Hammer, Iran’s nuclear enrichment program was obliterated. There’s been no effort to try to rebuild their enrichment capability.

You omitted that paragraph from your oral opening. Was that because the president said there was an imminent threat two weeks ago?

TULSI GABBARD, UNITED STATES DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: No, sir, I recognized that the time was running long, and I skipped through some of the portions of my–

WARNER: So you chose to–

GABBARD: –of my oral–

WARNER: –you chose to take — omit–

GABBARD: –my oral delivered remarks, sir.

WARNER: You chose to omit the parts that can contradict the president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: That exchange happened on Capitol Hill today.

Much more on what Tulsi Gabbard and the others testified.

It also came today, as the president attended another dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base. This time, it was for the six service members who were killed when a refueling jet crashed in the skies over Iraq. A reminder, of course, of the cost when American men and women are sent to fight.

As this has been coming here in Washington, there have still been many questions back home for the leaders who do not seem totally aligned about the mission and the results of that mission so far.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HEGSETH: The regime sure did change, and the world is better off for it.

GABBARD: The IC assesses the regime in Iran appears to be intact.

TRUMP: They’re working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America.

GABBARD: The IC assesses that Iran has previously demonstrated space launch and other technology it could use to begin to develop a militarily-viable ICBM before 2035, should Tehran attempt to pursue the capability.

TRUMP: They weren’t supposed to go after all these other countries in the Middle East.

Nobody expected that. We were shocked.

JOHN RATCLIFFE, DIRECTOR, CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY: Iran had specific plans to hit U.S. interests in energy sites across the region.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Watch above via CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins.

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