Gabbard reiterates testimony does not represent personal views
Gabbard reiterated to the House committee that her testimony did not represent her personal views as she read the same prepared remarks that she did before a Senate panel a day earlier.
“What I’m briefing here today does not represent my personal views or opinions, but rather the assessments of the intelligence community of the threats that are facing the United States, our homeland and our interests,” Gabbard said in her opening statement.
Crawford accuses intelligence community of Havana Syndrome “cover-up”
Crawford also accused the intelligence community of covering up the circumstances surrounding the debilitating condition known as Havana Syndrome.
“Put simply, it’s my clear opinion that individuals in the intelligence community were involved in a cover-up,” the GOP chairman said, alleging the manipulation of intelligence processes “to provide a desired outcome rather than a forthright analysis to inform decision makers.”
An intelligence assessment in 2023 concluded it was “very unlikely” that a foreign adversary was responsible for the unexplained neurological symptoms that afflicted diplomats, intelligence officers and military personnel in dozens of countries. The conclusion was reaffirmed in January 2025. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence has been conducting a review of the previous assessments.
Crawford said the committee’s investigation into the matter “continues to show that the intelligence community assessment was constructed upon flawed analytic tradecraft.”
The U.S. government quietly acquired a device in late 2024 that officials believe may be connected to Havana Syndrome, CBS News reported in January, according to multiple sources briefed on the matter.
The Pentagon has been testing the device, which emits pulsed, radio-frequency energy, and contains Russian-made components, for more than a year.
GOP chairman says “Iran is committed to acquiring a nuclear weapon”
GOP Rep. Rick Crawford of Arkansas, the House Intelligence Committee chairman, commended President Trump for taking “decisive action” against Iran in his opening remarks. Crawford said the case for why action was needed was made “clear” to lawmakers in classified briefings.
“Once it was clear that diplomacy would not stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon or holding the world under threat through ballistic missiles and terrorist networks, President Trump took decisive action to eliminate the threat,” he said. “Make no mistake, Iran is committed to acquiring a nuclear weapon.”
“There’s only one person in America who has the responsibility and the obligation to act when he believes there is a clear and present danger to our safety,” he said. “The commander in chief has that duty and I commend his decisiveness in his most difficult decisions.”
Gabbard told Senate that Iran had not resumed enrichment activities
One of the more notable moments from Wednesday’s Senate hearing stemmed from an omission during Gabbard’s opening remarks.
According to her written testimony, Gabbard was supposed to say that Iran’s nuclear enrichment program was “obliterated” during last year’s strikes on three of Iran’s nuclear facilities.
“There has been no efforts since then to try to rebuild their enrichment capability,” the prepared statement said. “We continue to monitor for any early indicators on what position the current or any new leadership in Iran will take with regard to authorizing a nuclear weapons program.”
But Gabbard skipped the passage as she read the remarks at the top of the hearing.
The omission was quickly noted by Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the committee, who asked if she excluded it because President Trump has said the threat posed by Iran was “imminent.” Gabbard said she was trying to save time.
“I recognized that time was running long, and I skipped through some of the portion you chose,” Gabbard said.
Later in the hearing, Gabbard confirmed to Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia that the passage she omitted was still the assessment of the intelligence community.
Gabbard also told senators the Iranian regime “appears to be intact but largely degraded.”
Trump hasn’t made up his mind on sending Americans into Iran
President Trump hasn’t made up his mind yet on whether he wants to send American forces into Iran and seize the country’s nuclear material, which would be a very dangerous operation, sources familiar with the matter told CBS News.
The Pentagon has prepared multiple options for the president as potential next steps in the Iran war.
After the U.S. military strikes on three nuclear sites last summer, the International Atomic Energy Agency, a nuclear watchdog, said it could not account for an estimated 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium Iran had before the strikes.