English transcript

I'm going to move on. Director Gabbard, you tweeted yesterday that President Trump concluded

there was an imminent threat and made a decision to attack Iran after carefully reviewing all

of the information before him. I think the country deserves to know what the information

was. I'm going to ask a series of questions and just want a yes or no. We don't need any

explanation, just yes or no. Starting with, were you asked, I'm not asking if you did

brief this, were you asked to brief on whether Iran would close the Strait of Hormuz?

I'm not going to comment on what the President did or didn't ask me on any topic.

I'm not asking if you briefed it. I'm just asking if there was a request by the White

House. Director Ratcliffe, were you asked to brief on whether Iran would close the Strait

of Hormuz? The briefings to the President and the White

House typically don't come at the request of the White House, so typically when we get

intelligence that we want the President to be aware of, the intelligence community brings

that to the President. Did you produce the analysis for the Straits

of Hormuz? There has been and continues to be analysis

with respect to that. Were you asked to brief on how our adversaries

and allies would respond to the war in Iran? I imagine I'll get the same answer.

So it's just to point out here, it's challenging to forget about actually what was in the brief

for a second. We're having a hard time finding out not only

if you briefed the President on something, but even if the White House asked if they

could be briefed on something or if analysis was produced.

So I just want to point out here, this is about six days.

Can I comment on that? I go back to the point.

It's the same approach that we took to the prior operations, which to your credit, Senator,

you have praised the intelligence and military communities in Operation Midnight Hammer and

Operation Absolute Resolve. It's the same approach and the same professionals

in terms of how they approached this particular operation.

We're trying to figure out if the President knew what the downside was of the Strait of

Hormuz being closed. And I'm having a hard time finding out whether

the White House asked or whether there was a brief, whether the President knew.

Did he know this was going to happen, or did he just disregard it?

And I just want to point out something that was released about six days ago.

This is a fundraising email from the President, from the President of the United States.

And in this email here, where there's multiple links to donate money, it says, as a national

security briefing member, you'll receive my private national security briefings.

Director Gabbard or Director Radcliffe, do you think the public should be able to, supporters

of the President should be able to pay and receive his private national security briefings?

I assume these are briefings, Director Radcliffe, that you provide to the President that is now

going to be provided to somebody who makes a donation.

Regardless of what that, I don't know what that document is, but regardless of what it

says, it didn't happen.

Well, no, this is new.

But what I'm telling you is that the Hatch Act would prevent me in a political role from

engaging in that. I'm not aware that anything like that happened.

This says unfiltered updates. So, Director Gabbard, do you have any comment on whether

unfiltered updates of private national security briefings should be made to individuals that

donate to the President?

I'm not familiar with that document.

It's been made very public six days ago. We'll get you a copy here, because I agree with

you, Director Radcliffe, that the Hatch Act should prohibit this type of conduct. Thank

you.