President Donald Trump again dismissed Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, this time telling reporters she was “wrong” to have told a Senate committee that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon.
A reporter asked Trump, who has insisted Iran is “a few weeks” from completing a nuclear weapon, where he is getting that information, given that his own intelligence team has offered a different assessment.
“Well then, my intelligence community is wrong,” Trump replied. “Who in the intelligence community said that?”
“Your director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard,” the reporter responded.
“She’s wrong,” Trump said.
During a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing in March, Gabbard said, “The [intelligence community] continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003.”
It’s the second time this week that Trump has publicly dismissed Gabbard’s assessments.
“I don’t care what she said,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday. “I think they were very close to having them.”
Trump’s statements are in line with comments Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made to justify his decision to strike Iran, insisting that an Iranian nuclear weapon is imminent.
Gabbard’s office has attempted to diminish the perception of a rift between the former Democratic congresswoman and the president, claiming the two are on the “same page.”
“Just because Iran is not building a nuclear weapon right now, doesn’t mean they aren’t ‘very close,’ as President Trump said,” a Gabbard official told CNN.
Following Trump’s remarks on Friday, Gabbard claimed her earlier testimony was taken “out of context” by the media.
“The dishonest media is intentionally taking my testimony out of context and spreading fake news as a way to manufacture division,” she wrote on X. “America has intelligence that Iran is at the point that it can produce a nuclear weapon within weeks to months, if they decide to finalize the assembly. President Trump has been clear that can’t happen, and I agree.”
Gabbard has reportedly been sidelined during Trump’s recent meetings with his national security team on whether to proceed with strikes on Iran.
Trump said in a Thursday statement he’ll make a decision on whether to strike Fordow, Iran’s primary nuclear facility, over the next two weeks.
In his gaggle with reporters on Friday, he said two weeks is a “maximum” timeline for his decision.
“I’m giving them a period of time, we’re going to see what that period of time is,” he said.
