Sen. Ossoff questions Tulsi Gabbard on FBI's Fulton County search, Iran nuclear program
Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff questioned Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on the FBI's search of Fulton County's election hub and the threat Iran may pose to the U.S. during a heated committee hearing on Thursday.
Gabbard's testimony came at the first of two congressional hearings held each year to offer the public a glimpse into the largely secret operations of the government's intelligence agencies and the threats they confront.
Before starting his questioning, Ossoff criticized a fundraising email sent by President Trump that invited his campaign donors to join and "receive private national security briefings," which included a photo of a coffin draped in an American flag.
"The American people need to know that the president of the United States is fundraising for his political campaign and his PAC using images of American service members killed in action, and it's a disgrace," Ossoff said.
While Gabbard, the U.S. government's top intelligence official, told Ossoff and other lawmakers that Iran's government "appears to be intact but largely degraded" by the ongoing U.S. and Israeli strikes, she repeatedly dodged questions about what the Trump Administration knew or planned for ahead of the weeks-old war.
"Was it the assessment by the intelligence community that there was a quote 'imminent nuclear threat' by the Iranian regime, yes or no?" Ossoff asked Gabbard.
"Senator, the only person who can determine what is and is not an imminent threat is the president," Gabbard responded.
Ossoff then interrupted her statement, calling it "false."
"It is precisely your responsibility to determine what constitutes a threat to the United States," the senator said, before adding that she was "evading a question" because he believed her response would contradict previous statements from the White House on the topic.
Questions about Gabbard's presence at an FBI search in Fulton County
Ossoff also pressed Gabbard about her presence at an FBI search at Fulton County's main election hub in January. During that search, FBI agents seized hundreds of boxes of ballots and other voting records.
According to the affidavit, the search came as part of an ongoing "FBI criminal investigation into whether any of the improprieties" alleged around the county's handling of the 2020 election "were intentional acts that violated federal criminal laws." The investigation was initiated by a referral from attorney Kurt Olsen, who now serves as President Trump's "director of election security and integrity," overseeing the attempt to investigate Mr. Trump's loss.
The federal government and the Georgia county remain in a legal battle over the records. As of this week, a federal judge ruled that mediation between the two parties had failed.
A spokesperson for Gabbard had previously stated that both Mr. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi had requested Gabbard's presence during the search.
"When did the president request your presence at the raid?" the Georgia senator asked.
"The day of the raid," she responded, saying that she had been requested by Mr. Trump to help oversee the warrant's execution.
Gabbard said that she did oversee "a portion" of the raid, but she did not handle any election materials during the search.
Wednesday's hearings this week take place at a time of scrutiny over the war with Iran and heightened concerns about terrorism at home after recent attacks at a Michigan synagogue and a Virginia university. The hearing also came a day after the resignation of Joe Kent as director of the National Counterterrorism Center. Kent said he could not "in good conscience" back the war and did not agree that Iran posed an imminent threat.
The House Intelligence Committee is holding its own threats hearing on Thursday.
The Associated Press and CBS News contributed to this report.
