Top US intelligence official says it's not her job to determine imminent threats Submitted by Yasmine El-Sabawi on Wed, 03/18/2026 - 17:58 Tulsi Gabbard, a longtime anti-war voice, avoided undermining the president's claims in a public hearing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testifies before a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on 18 March 2026 (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters) Off The Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Tulsi Gabbard, told lawmakers on Wednesday that it was not her job to determine what constitutes an "imminent threat" to the US, as the country's war on Iran heads into its fourth week.  Only President Donald Trump can make such a determination, she insisted at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing. Democrats grilled her on how much information she supplied the president ahead of the decision to begin joint attacks with Israel on 28 February, given that Trump has repeatedly said this week how he was surprised Iran retaliated by attacking Washington's Gulf partners.  The president has also been pleading with Nato, other allies, and even China to assist militarily in reopening the Strait of Hormuz - a move that would be seen in Tehran as a widening of the war.  There have been no takers thus far.  Key to the hearing for Democrats was understanding whether Trump was made aware of the consequences at all, particularly as he seemed to sideline Gabbard, given her longtime anti-war position, both when she was in Congress as a Democrat and when she later crossed over the aisle to be a Republican.  "Was it the assessment of the intelligence community that there was a, quote, imminent nuclear threat posed by the Iranian regime? Yes or No," Georgia Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff asked.  "Senator, the only person who can determine what is and is not an imminent threat is the president... it is not the intelligence community's responsibility," Gabbard responded.  Ossoff cut her off: