Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard broke her silence on Tuesday after her top aide, Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigned because he did not agree with President Donald Trump’s war on Iran. Since Tulsi Gabbard is also known for her anti-war stance, there was speculation that she would also be out because she had not issued any statement on the US war on Iran. But on Tuesday, Gabbard issued her first statement in which she did not mention Joe Kent.
Read Tulsi Gabbard’s full statement on Iran war
“Donald Trump was overwhelmingly elected by the American people to be our President and Commander in Chief. As our Commander in Chief, he is responsible for determining what is and what is not an imminent threat, and taking the necessary actions to protect our troops, the American people, and our country. “The Office of the Director of National Intelligence is responsible for helping to coordinate and integrate all intelligence information to provide the President and Commander in Chief with the best information available to inform their decisions. “After carefully reviewing all the information before him, President Trump concluded that the terrorist Islamic regime in Iran posed an imminent threat and he took action based on that conclusion.”
Tulsi Gabbard’s statement on ‘imminent danger’ demolishes Joe Kent’s argument
Joe Kent said in his letter to President Trump that Iran poses no imminent threat to the US and that “we started this war because of pressure from Israel and its powerful US lobby”. Gabbard said in her statement that President Trump is responsible for determining whether a threat is imminent. On the point Kent mentioned about Israeli pressure, Gabbard said that Trump took the decision to attack Iran after carefully reviewing all the information before him. And his department is responsible for providing the President with the best available information.