Sen. Ossoff's Questions Officials in Senate Intelligence Committee Hearing on Worldwide Threats

[0:00] I want to call everyone's attention again to this fundraising email signed by the president [0:05] that Senator Kelly mentioned earlier, in which the president of the United States invites his [0:12] campaign donors to, quote, claim your spot, claim your spot, join now to receive private national [0:22] security briefings to his political donors, featuring a photo of the president at a dignified [0:30] transfer ceremony with a flag-draped coffin of an American service member killed in action [0:37] returning to their family. [0:38] And the American people need to know that the president of the United States is fundraising [0:44] for his political campaign and his PAC using images of American service members killed in [0:51] action, and it's a disgrace. [0:56] Now, Director Gabbard, I'd like to reground this in your core responsibilities. [1:01] Under the law, you are responsible for providing national intelligence to the president, correct? [1:09] Yes. [1:10] And to the heads of executive branch departments and agencies, yes? [1:13] Yes. [1:14] And to the chairman of the joint chiefs and senior military commanders? [1:18] Across the IC, yes. [1:19] And to the Senate and the House and relevant committees, correct? [1:23] Yes. [1:24] And the law states that the national intelligence you provide to Congress, quote, should be timely, [1:29] objective, and independent of political considerations, correct? [1:32] Yes. [1:32] And you noted in your opening statement you're here fulfilling a statutory responsibility and [1:37] that your testimony, quote, represents the IC's assessment of threats, correct? [1:43] That opening statement, as submitted to the committee in advance of this hearing, stated [1:47] that as a result of last summer's airstrikes, quote, Iran's nuclear enrichment program was [1:54] obliterated, end quote, correct? [1:56] That's right. [1:57] And is that, in fact, the assessment of the intelligence community? [2:00] Yes. [2:00] So the assessment of the intelligence community is that Iran's nuclear enrichment program was [2:05] obliterated by last summer's airstrikes? [2:07] Yes. [2:09] And the opening statement you submitted to the committee last night also stated, quote, [2:12] there has been no effort since then to try to rebuild their enrichment capability, end quote, [2:18] correct? [2:18] That's right. [2:19] And that's the assessment of the intelligence community? [2:21] Yes. [2:22] The White House stated on March 1st of this year that this war was launched and was, quote, [2:28] a military campaign to eliminate the imminent nuclear threat posed by the Iranian regime, [2:34] end quote. [2:35] That's a statement from the White House. [2:37] Quote, the imminent nuclear threat posed by the Iranian regime. [2:42] Was it the assessment of the intelligence community that there was an imminent nuclear threat posed by the [2:46] Iranian regime? [2:47] The intelligence community assessed that Iran maintained the intention to rebuild and to [2:55] continue to grow their nuclear enrichment capability? [2:57] Was it the assessment of the intelligence community that there was a, quote, [3:01] imminent nuclear threat posed by the Iranian regime? [3:04] Yes or no? [3:04] Senator, the only person who can determine what is and is not an imminent threat is the president. [3:10] False. [3:10] And he made that determination. [3:11] This is the worldwide threats hearing where you present to Congress national intelligence, [3:16] timely, objective, and independent of political considerations. [3:19] You've stated today that the intelligence community's assessment is that Iran's nuclear [3:24] enrichment program was obliterated and that, quote, there had been no efforts since then to [3:29] try to rebuild their enrichment capability. [3:32] Was it the intelligence community's assessment that, nevertheless, despite this obliteration, [3:38] there was a, quote, imminent nuclear threat posed by the Iranian regime? [3:42] Yes or no? [3:42] It is not the intelligence community's responsibility to determine what is and is not an imminent threat. [3:48] That is up to the president based on a volume of information and information that he receives. [3:52] It is precisely your responsibility to determine what constitutes a threat to the United States. [3:58] This is the worldwide threats hearing where, as you noted in your opening testimony, quote, [4:06] quote, you represent the IC's assessment of threats. [4:10] You are here to represent the IC's assessment of threats. [4:15] That's a quote from your own opening statement. [4:18] And so my question is, as you're here to present the IC's assessment of threats, was it the assessment [4:26] of the intelligence community that, as the White House claimed on March 1st, there was a, quote, [4:32] imminent nuclear threat posed by the Iranian regime? [4:35] Yes or no? [4:36] Once again, Senator, the intelligence community has provided the inputs that make up this annual [4:43] threat assessment. [4:44] You won't answer the question. [4:45] It is the nature of the imminent threat that the president has to make that determination [4:49] based on a collection and volume of information and intelligence that he has provided with. [4:55] You're here to be timely, objective, and independent of political considerations. [5:00] Exactly what I'm doing. [5:00] No, you're evading a question because to provide a candid response to the committee would contradict [5:07] a statement from the White House. [5:10] Let me ask you about your presence in Fulton County on January 28th of this year. [5:17] You were present at the FBI's raid on the Fulton County Elections Office on January 28th, correct? [5:24] I was present for part of the FBI exercising a warrant approved by a municipal judge. [5:31] Yes, and the FBI was there executing that warrant to seize ballots and materials associated [5:38] with the 2020 election, correct? [5:40] Yes. [5:40] And are you aware that members of this committee have already opened inquiries into your election-related [5:46] activities? [5:47] Yes. [5:47] And are you aware that your general counsel and deputy general counsel have already provided [5:51] testimony to this committee regarding those activities? [5:54] Yes. [5:56] On February 2nd, you sent a letter to Senator Warner regarding your presence at the raid. [5:59] Was that letter accurate? [6:01] I don't recall the exact date, but if I sent a letter that had my signature, it was accurate. [6:07] You stated in the letter that your presence at the raid was, quote, requested by the president, [6:11] correct? [6:11] Yes. [6:12] When did the president request your presence at the raid? [6:15] The day of the raid, the warrant execution commencing. [6:20] The day of the raid? [6:22] Yes. [6:22] He called you on the phone? [6:24] I'm not going to disclose how the message was delivered, but it was a request from the [6:28] president and his administration to go and help oversee this warrant being executed, along [6:32] with the deputy director of the FBI. [6:34] Is it your role to oversee? [6:36] And to thank the FBI agents who were conducting this warrant. [6:37] Is it your role to oversee the execution of criminal warrants? [6:40] It is my role, based on statute that Congress has passed, to have oversight over election [6:46] security, to include counterintelligence. [6:49] But you said you oversaw the raid, correct? [6:52] You just testified you oversaw the raid? [6:55] Portions of it. [6:55] Okay. [6:56] Did you handle any ballots or election-related materials? [6:58] No. [6:59] You were inside an FBI evidence truck, correct? [7:01] You were photographed inside an FBI evidence truck. [7:05] It was an empty truck, yes. [7:08] The president stated, quote, you looked at votes that wanted to be checked out. [7:11] The senator's time is expired. [7:13] Did you look at votes as the president stated? [7:14] Senator Ossoff, your time has expired. [7:17] You respond for the record? [7:17] Senator Ossoff, your time has expired. [7:18] Senator Ossoff, your time has expired. [7:19] No, she cannot respond because... [7:20] Senator Ossoff, your time has expired. [7:21] No, for the record, will the director please respond for the record to that question is [7:24] my question. [7:25] I'm happy to respond to questions for the record. [7:26] Senator Ossoff, your time has expired. [7:27] Thank you, Director Gabbard. [7:28] Thank you.