‘Totally False’: Ex-GOP Congressman Accuses Tulsi Gabbard of Lying About Iran Assessment to the Senate

Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images

Former Republican congressman and recent GOP Senate candidate, Justin Amash, pulled no punches on Wednesday in reacting to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s testimony before the U.S. Senate earlier in the day.

Amash shared a clip of Gabbard being questioned by Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA), who repeatedly asked her, “Was it the assessment of the intelligence community that there was an imminent, nuclear threat, posed by Iranian regime?”

Gabbard not only dodged the question, but eventually added, “Senator, the only person who can determine what is and is not an imminent threat is the president.” Amash, a sharp critic of Trump during his first term, took issue with the statement and called it “totally false” in a post on social media.

“Tulsi Gabbard’s statement here is totally false. Her effort to lie to Congress and the public to justify an unauthorized, unconstitutional war is shameless,” Amash wrote on X while sharing a clip of the exchange. He added:

She could have said: “The only person who is commander in chief of the Armed Forces is the president.”

That still would have been a dodge, but at least it would have been true.

It is absolutely not true that whether or not Iran posed an imminent threat is some kind of secret knowledge that the president alone possesses.

Below is a rough transcript of the exchange between Sen. Ossoff and Gabbard:

SENATOR JON OSSOFF (D-GA): That opening statement as submitted to the committee in advance of this hearing stated that as a result of last summer’s airstrikes quote “Iran’s nuclear enrichment program was obliterated?” End quote. Correct?

TRUMP DNI TULSI GABBARD: That’s right.

SENATOR JON OSSOFF (D-GA): And is that in fact the assessment of the intelligence community?

TRUMP DNI TULSI GABBARD: Yes.

SENATOR JON OSSOFF (D-GA): So the assessment of the intelligence community. Is that iran’s nuclear enrichment program was obliterated by last summer’s airstrikes.

TRUMP DNI TULSI GABBARD: Yes.

SENATOR JON OSSOFF (D-GA): In the opening statement you submitted the committee last night also stated quote there has been no effort since then to try to rebuild their enrichment capability” end quote correct? That’s right. And that’s the assessment of the intelligence community.

TRUMP DNI TULSI GABBARD: Yes.

SENATOR JON OSSOFF (D-GA): The White House stated on March first 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 Iranian regime?

TRUMP DNI TULSI GABBARD: The intelligence community assessed that Iran maintained the intention to rebuild and to continue to grow their nuclear enrichment capability.

SENATOR JON OSSOFF (D-GA): Was it the assessment of the intelligence community that there was a quote “imminent nuclear threat posed by the Iranian regime,” yes or no?

TRUMP DNI TULSI GABBARD: Senator, the only person who can determine in what is and is not an imminent threat is the president.

SENATOR JON OSSOFF (D-GA): False.

TRUMP DNI TULSI GABBARD: And he made that determination.

SENATOR JON OSSOFF (D-GA): 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 communities assessment that, nevertheless, despite this obliteration there was a quote “imminent nuclear threat posed by the Iranian regime,” yes or no.

TRUMP DNI TULSI 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 and that is up to the president based on a volume of information that he receives.

SENATOR JON OSSOFF (D-GA): 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, quote, you represent the IC’s assessment of threats. You are here to represent the I.C.’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 I see’s assessment of threats, was it the assessment of the intelligence community that as the White House claimed on March 1st. There was a quote, “imminent nuclear threat posed by the Iranian regime.” Yes or no?

TRUMP DNI TULSI GABBARD: Once again, Senator, the intelligence community has provided the inputs that make up this annual threat assessment.

SENATOR JON OSSOFF (D-GA): You won’t answer the question.

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