Austin News

During a recent Senate Select Committee on Intelligence hearing, U.S. Senator John Cornyn engaged in a discussion with Tulsi Gabbard, the nominee for Director of National Intelligence under the Trump administration. The focus was on ensuring that the President receives all lawfully collected intelligence to aid his decisions as Commander in Chief.

Senator Cornyn emphasized concerns about the expanding bureaucracy within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, stating: “I hope you will take to heart the Chairman’s comments about the exploding bureaucracy not only in the government generally, but in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.”

Cornyn highlighted that while this role is crucial, it is often hindered by bureaucratic complexities. He questioned Gabbard on her stance regarding presidential access to intelligence, asking: “Do you believe that the President of the United States should get all of the lawfully collected intelligence that’s available in order to inform his judgments as Commander in Chief?”

Gabbard responded affirmatively: “Senator, not only is the answer a strong yes, I would say that it is the Director of National Intelligence’s responsibility to make sure that the President has access to all the intelligence so that he can make the best informed decisions for our country.”

The dialogue also touched upon presenting diverse viewpoints to avoid groupthink. Cornyn expressed appreciation for Gabbard's agreement on this matter: “You and I talked about the importance of getting dissenting views in front of the President so that we don’t have groupthink, which can be very dangerous, particularly in intelligence collection areas.” He further added: “I appreciate your agreeing that presenting policymakers, including the President, with dissenting views is very important.”