Director of Nationwide Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has damaged her silence after President Donald Trump publicly refuted her earlier congressional testimony concerning Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
The firestorm ignited when CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, ever the mouthpiece for the left, pressed President Trump aboard Air Pressure One about Gabbard’s March testimony earlier than Congress.
“Tulsi Gabbard testified in March that the intelligence group stated Iran wasn’t constructing a nuclear weapon,” Collins prodded, clearly fishing for a gotcha.
Trump shut her down, stating, “I don’t care what she stated. I feel they have been very near having one.”
Vice President JD Vance also stepped into the fray on X: “First off, Tulsi’s testimony was in March, and rather a lot has modified since then. Second, in case you have a look at what she stated then, her level about uranium enrichment is in line with what I wrote above.”
Vance clarified that whereas Iran is permitted nuclear power for civilian use, the regime has repeatedly violated its obligations to the Worldwide Atomic Vitality Company (IAEA), proving its intent to weaponize its nuclear program.
Gabbard, refusing to let the media twist her phrases, fired again in a press release shared by CNN Capitol Hill reporter Sarah Ferris and confirmed by the Workplace of the Director of Nationwide Intelligence (ODNI), in accordance with The Daily Caller.
Ferris wrote on X:
DNI Gabbard tells us she and Trump are “on the identical web page” on the subject of Iran nuclear timeline.
“Pres Trump was saying the identical factor that I stated in my annual risk evaluation again in March. Sadly too many individuals within the media don’t care to really learn what I stated”
DNI Gabbard tells us she and Trump are “on the identical web page” on the subject of Iran nuclear timeline
“Pres Trump was saying the identical factor that I stated in my annual risk evaluation again in March. Sadly too many individuals within the media don’t care to really learn what I stated”
— Sarah Ferris (@sarahnferris) June 17, 2025
The complete context of Gabbard’s March testimony, posted by ODNI deputy chief of workers Alexa Henning, obliterates the media’s narrative. Gabbard informed Congress:
The IC continues to evaluate that Iran shouldn’t be constructing a nuclear weapon and Supreme Chief Khamanei has not approved the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003. The IC is carefully monitoring if Tehran decides to reauthorize its nuclear weapons program. Previously yr, we now have seen an erosion of a decades-long taboo in Iran on discussing nuclear weapons in public, possible emboldening nuclear weapons advocates inside Iran’s decision-making equipment. Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile is at its highest ranges and is unprecedented for a state with out nuclear weapons.
…
Iran continues to seeks growth of its affect within the Center East, regardless of the degradation to its proxies and defenses throughout the Gaza battle. Iran has developed and maintains ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and UAVs, together with techniques able to putting U.S. targets and allies within the area. Tehran has proven a willingness to make use of these weapons, together with throughout a 2020 assault on U.S. forces in Iraq and in assaults towards Israel in April and October 2024. Iran’s cyber operations and capabilities additionally current a severe risk to U.S. networks and information.
Full testimony: pic.twitter.com/rfEGiMJsLJ
— Alexa Henning (@alexahenning) June 17, 2025
