The Trump administration’s prime intelligence chiefs are set to testify earlier than Congress Wednesday, with lawmakers anticipated to grill them over the justifications for the navy strikes by the U.S. and Israel on Iran.
FBI Director Kash Patel, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Defense Intelligence Agency Director James Adams III and Acting Director of the National Security Agency William Hartman will seem at 10 a.m. ET earlier than the Senate Intelligence Committee.
The listening to comes lower than a day after Joe Kent, the outgoing director of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigned from his place, citing the Iran conflict.
In a scathing letter, Kent, a longtime ally of President Donald Trump, accused him of going to conflict with Iran beneath stress from Israel and mentioned he didn’t imagine that Iran posed a direct risk to the U.S.
Administration officers have insisted Iran was getting ready to constructing a nuclear weapon and that risk wanted to be eradicated. However, the annual risk evaluation intelligence report from 2025, produced over the past yr of the Biden administration, discovered that Iran “is not building a nuclear weapon.”
Watch Live: Kash Patel and Tulsi Gabbard testify to Congress about Iran conflict
Independent Video18 March 2026 14:00
Senate Intelligence Chair says intelligence gathering has been profitable
Senator Tom Cotton, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, mentioned Wednesday morning that the listening to was “a very important occasion” so intelligence officers can inform Americans how they’re making the nation a safer place.
“What we’re going to her today is that while the world’s still a dangerous place, it’s safer for America than it was a year ago thanks to President Trump’s leadership,” Cotton instructed Fox News.
“These agencies have undergone a lot of reforms in the last year, to get back to their core mission of collecting intelligence that helps us protect our nation.”
Ariana Baio18 March 2026 13:41
Another anti-war message from Tulsi Gabbard surfaces as she emerges to defend Iran conflict
A resurfaced tweet posted by Gabbard on May 16, 2019, when she was a Hawaii Democratic congresswoman working to be that celebration’s presidential nominee, finds her attacking Trump for sabre-rattling towards Tehran throughout his first time period.
“Trump promised to get the U.S. out of ‘stupid wars,’” she wrote. “But now he and [then-national security adviser] John Bolton are on the brink of launching us into a very stupid and costly war with Iran. Join me in sending a strong message to President Trump: The U.S. must NOT go to war with Iran.”
Joe Sommerlad18 March 2026 13:26
Trump insists Iran is the ‘Number one’ state sponsor of terrorism
President Donald Trump mentioned Wednesday, forward of the Senate Intelligence Committee listening to, that Iran was the “NUMBER ONE” state sponsor of terrorism.
“Remember, for all of those absolute ‘fools’ out there, Iran is considered, by everyone, to be the NUMBER ONE STATE SPONSOR OF TERROR. We are rapidly putting them out of business!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Democratic lawmakers have expressed intense skepticism over the president’s justification for going to conflict.
Ariana Baio18 March 2026 13:09
Read the scathing resignation letter from Trump’s now former counterterrorism chief
The director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Joe Kent, introduced his sudden resignation on Tuesday, citing his considerations about President Donald Trump’s strikes in Iran.
Kent, 45, mentioned he “cannot in good conscience” again the administration’s conflict.
A former political candidate with connections to right-wing extremists, Kent was confirmed to his publish final July on a 52-44 vote.
As head of the National Counterterrorism Center, he oversaw an company tasked with analyzing and detecting terrorist threats.
Paul Farrell18 March 2026 12:40
Welcome to The Independent’s stay weblog
Welcome to The Independent’s stay weblog, the place we might be masking the Senate Intelligence Committee listening to starting at 10 a.m. ET.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, FBI Director Kash Patel, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and different officers might be testifying about intelligence that led to the Iran conflict.
Ariana Baio18 March 2026 12:35
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/iran-war-congress-testimony-patel-gabbard-live-updates-b2940973.html