Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has come under scrutiny following her March testimony to Congress, where she stated that Iran was not currently building a nuclear weapon. Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, who served as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency and briefly as President Trump\u2019s national security adviser, defended Gabbard, claiming she was \u201cset up\u201d by elements within the intelligence community still loyal to past administrations. In an interview with podcaster Benny Johnson, Flynn argued that Gabbard, new to the role, relied on information provided by senior intelligence officials and was misled. \u201cShe\u2019s only a few weeks into the job\u2026 she\u2019s taken what the smartest people in our intel community say and presented it,\u201d Flynn said, adding she needs time to assemble a trustworthy team.<\/p>\n
In her testimony, Gabbard did acknowledge that Iran\u2019s enriched uranium stockpile was \u201cunprecedented for a state without nuclear weapons\u201d and warned of Iran\u2019s continued support for regional terrorist groups. She later clarified on social media that her comments were taken out of context, stressing that Iran could produce a nuclear weapon \u201cwithin weeks to months\u201d if it chose to. President Trump publicly disagreed with her remarks, saying, \u201cShe\u2019s wrong. My intelligence community is wrong.\u201d Despite the controversy, Vice President JD Vance strongly defended Gabbard, calling her a \u201ccritical\u201d and \u201cessential\u201d part of the administration\u2019s national security team.<\/p>\n