US spies said Iran wasn't building a nuclear weapon. Trump dismisses that assessment
WASHINGTON (AP) — Tulsi Gabbard left no doubt when she testified to Congress about Iran's nuclear program earlier this year.
The country was not building a nuclear weapon, the national intelligence director told lawmakers, and its supreme leader had not reauthorized the dormant program.
But President Donald Trump dismissed the assessment of U.S. spy agencies during an overnight flight back to Washington as he cut short his trip to the Group of Seven summit to focus on the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.
'I don't care what she said,' Trump told reporters. In his view, Iran was 'very close' to having a nuclear bomb.
Trump's statement aligned him with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has described a nuclear-armed Iran as an imminent threat, rather than with his own top intelligence adviser.
The Republican president was expected to meet with national security officials in the Situation Room on Tuesday as he plans next steps.
Trump's contradiction of Gabbard echoed his feuds with U.S. spy leaders during his first term, when he viewed them as part of a 'deep state' that was undermining his agenda. Most notably, he sided with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2018 when asked if Moscow had interfered in the 2016 election, saying Putin was 'extremely strong and powerful in his denial.'
The latest break over Iran was striking because Trump has staffed his second administration with loyalists rather than establishment figures. Gabbard, a military veteran and former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, was narrowly confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate because of her scant experience with intelligence or managing sprawling organizations.
Gabbard, who left the Democratic Party in 2022 and endorsed Trump, is expected to testify Tuesday in a closed session on Capitol Hill, along with CIA Director John Ratcliffe, during a previously scheduled budget hearing. Both officials would likely face questions about their views on Iran and Trump's latest statements.
Representatives for Gabbard and the CIA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Gabbard, in her March testimony to lawmakers, said the intelligence community was closely monitoring Iran's nuclear program, noting that its 'enriched uranium stockpile is at its highest levels and is unprecedented for a state without nuclear weapons.'
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly warned that Iran has enough enriched uranium to make several nuclear bombs should it choose to do so.
Iran maintains its nuclear program is peaceful.
An earlier intelligence report, released in November under then-President Joe Biden, a Democrat, also said Iran 'is not building a nuclear weapon.'
However, it said the country has 'undertaken activities that better position it to produce one, if it so chooses,' such as increasing stockpiles of enriched uranium and operating more advanced centrifuges. The report did not include any estimates for a timeline for how quickly a bomb could be built.
Trump's immigration agenda is another place where he's split with intelligence assessments. He cited the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 wartime law, to deport Venezuelan migrants, which he justified by claiming that the Tren de Aragua gang was coordinating with the Venezuelan government. However, an intelligence assessment in April found no evidence of that.
Gabbard fired the two veteran intelligence officers who led the panel that created the assessment, saying they were terminated because of their opposition to Trump.
In response to those reports, the White House released a statement from Gabbard supporting the president.
'President Trump took necessary and historic action to safeguard our nation when he deported these violent Tren de Aragua terrorists,' the statement said. 'Now that America is safer without these terrorists in our cities, deep state actors have resorted to using their propaganda arm to attack the President's successful policies.'
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Winnipeg Free Press
28 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
10 years after Charleston church massacre, faith leaders lament that the country hasn't changed
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37 minutes ago
Carney greets non-G7 leaders at Alberta summit, including India's Modi, after pledging $2B in aid to Ukraine
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The beautiful scenery has been a conversation point all week among members of the foreign delegations — some say they are simply mesmerized by just how majestic it is in this part of Alberta. U.S. President Donald Trump himself yesterday seemed struck by the landscape, where massive mountains poke out of the forest. It's so beautiful, he said as he greeted Carney at this same spot. Rutte isn't here for the mountains alone, of course. The former Dutch prime minister, who has a close relationship with Canada, has been urging NATO allies to step up their defence spending — to meet and exceed the long-standing target of two per cent of GDP. Carney has committed to that, saying there may be more spending to come to better prepare Canada for an increasingly dangerous world. We'll see what, if anything, he promises Rutte today on these matters. Just last week, Rutte warned NATO allies to prepare for war, given global uncertainty. History has taught us that to preserve peace, we must prepare for war. Wishful thinking will not keep us safe. We cannot dream away the danger. Hope is not a strategy. So NATO has to become a stronger, fairer and more lethal alliance, he said in a speech in the U.K.
Toronto Star
an hour ago
- Toronto Star
Appeals court hears arguments in National Guard deployment in Los Angeles
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal appeals court in San Francisco heard arguments Tuesday afternoon on whether the Trump administration should return control of National Guard troops to California after they were deployed following protests in Los Angeles over immigration raids. The hearing comes after the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a request by the administration last week to temporarily pause a lower court order that directed President Donald Trump to return control of the soldiers to Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who filed a lawsuit over the deployment.
