The Director of National Idunno: Determining threats is not my job

It is fair to say that former Department of Homeland Security Secretary K. Noem got the chop because she directly blamed President Blotchy for a $220 million ad campaign starring Noem and apparently benefitting some of her pals.

But when it comes to deflecting blame from him, I don’t think anything less than a noisy mea maxima culpa will do. Only not in Latin because he won’t understand it.

The current national intelligence director’s appearance before the Senate Intelligence Committee gives us a chance to see if he will accept blaming Nobody like a little kid in Family Circus. Or a cyclops.

Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, also stated in prepared remarks to the Senate Intelligence Committee that U.S. attacks on Iran last year had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program and that there had been no effort since then to rebuild that capability.

The statement was notable given Trump’s repeated assertions that a war with Iran was necessary to head off what he said was an imminent threat from the Islamic Republic. Gabbard pointedly said that conclusion was the president’s alone to draw as she declined to directly answer whether the intelligence community had likewise assessed that Iran’s nuclear system presented an imminent risk to the United States.

In an attempt to not blame anyone she came out with a novel theory of what it is that intelligence agencies do. Or rather, do not do.

“It is not the intelligence community’s responsibility to determine what is and is not an imminent threat,” she said at one point.

See, that’s the mistake all people who tried to warn Bush II about the threat of a terrorist attack by Al-Qaeda. They didn’t stay in their lane. They weren’t weak on security like Joe Kent.

But at least one senator wasn’t having that response, which likely gave every living intelligence worker an nosebleed.

Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia shot back: “It is precisely your responsibility to determine what constitutes a threat to the United States.”

Ossoff has a transcript of his exchanges with Gabbard on his website. The entire thing is worth your time. Here’s the full quote excerpted in the AP article:

“No, it is precisely your responsibility to determine what constitutes a threat to the United States. This is the worldwide threats hearing where, as you noted in your opening testimony, ‘you represent the IC’s assessment of threats.’ You are here to ‘represent the IC’s assessment of threats.’ That’s a quote from your own opening statement. And so, my question is, as you’re here to present the IC’s assessment of threats, was it the assessment of the Intelligence Community that, as the White House claimed on March 1st, there was a, ‘imminent nuclear threat posed by the Iranian regime.’ Yes or no?”

She did not answer yes or no, prompting this accurate observation.

“No, you’re evading a question because to provide a candid response to the Committee would contradict a statement from the White House.”

Bold move, we’ll see if that works for her.

People who post off-topic comments think former national counterterrorism director Joe Kent is a good guy.