Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence, made a return to mainstream media following a statement from President Donald Trump, asserting she was incorrect about Iran’s nuclear weapons development status.
When pressed by a reporter about Iran’s intentions on Friday, Trump dismissed the idea that Iran was not pursuing nuclear weapons.
“The fraudulent media is taking my statements out of context and spreading misinformation to create division,” he claimed.
In response to the reporter’s question regarding U.S. intelligence, Gabbard asked, “What evidence does Iran have to support nuclear weapons development, especially when your intelligence community suggests otherwise?”
“Then my intelligence community is incorrect,” Trump replied. “Who conveyed that in the intelligence community?”
“It was Tarshi Gabbard, your Director of National Intelligence,” the reporter stated.
“She’s mistaken,” Trump immediately countered.
Later, Gabbard pointed fingers at the media on social media, sharing a video of her testimony to back her contention that her remarks were misrepresented.
“The deceptive media is intentionally misrepresenting my testimony and spreading it as a way to create fake news,” she asserted on her platform.
She added, “The U.S. intelligence shows that if they choose to proceed, Iran can produce nuclear weapons in a matter of weeks to months. Trump is clear that this won’t happen, and I agree.”
Related: Whoopi Goldberg remarked during a debate that Black Americans face oppression similar to that of Iranians under a totalitarian regime.
However, Gabbard’s posted testimony included this critical comment:
“The [intelligence community] continues to assess that Iran has not developed nuclear weapons, and Supreme Leader Khamenei has not sanctioned the nuclear weapons program, which was halted in 2003.”
This isn’t the first instance where Trump has challenged Gabbard’s views. On Tuesday, while addressing a reporter on Air Force One, he stated, “I don’t care what she said,” about her prior comments, adding, “I believe they are very close to having nuclear capabilities.”
On Thursday, Trump indicated he would make a decision regarding a potential strike on Iran within two weeks to further press for an agreement on nuclear negotiations.
