#CIA #FBI
#Hearing on #Intelligence in #Congress on March 19, 2026: what transpired and what did not (e.g. Election Interference)
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The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence held its hearing on the 2026 Annual Worldwide Threats Assessment on Thursday, March 19, 2026. The session was marked by tense exchanges over the ongoing war with Iran (“Operation Epic Fury”) and significant omissions regarding election security. [1, 2, 3]
What Did NOT Transpire (The Omissions)
The most significant “non-event” was the exclusion of established threats from the official record, particularly regarding elections.Election Interference Removed from Report: For the first time since 2016, the Intelligence Community’s unclassified Annual Threat Assessment contained no mention of foreign threats to U.S. elections.Despite the rise of AI-driven disinformation, the report notably failed to link Artificial Intelligence to election interference.
This omission drew sharp rebuke from committee Democrats, including Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), who argued that ignoring the issue invites further meddling by adversaries like Russia.Refusal to Rule Out Military at Polls: When Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) asked a Department of Defense official to commit that active-duty military personnel would not be deployed to polling places for the upcoming midterms, the official did not provide that assurance. Instead, they stated that such decisions would be subject to “White House review,” fueling concerns about potential voter intimidation.
Gabbard’s Evasiveness on Past Interference: When pressed by Rep. Himes, Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard refused to give a direct “yes” or “no” regarding established intelligence on foreign interference in the 2020 election. She instead gave a non-committal response that the community was “continuing to look into” the matter. [2, 4, 5, 6, 7]
What Transpired (The Testimony)
The hearing was dominated by the administration’s justifications for the war in Iran and the politicization of intelligence. [8]“Operation Epic Fury” (Iran War):Status of Regime: Intelligence officials, including CIA Director John Ratcliffe, testified that the Iranian regime is “intact but largely degraded.”
Strait of Hormuz: Lawmakers grilled officials on whether the administration had anticipated Iran’s retaliation—specifically the threat to close the Strait of Hormuz—before launching strikes.
Testimony Discrepancy: A controversy emerged when DNI Gabbard’s written testimony claimed Iran’s nuclear enrichment program had been “obliterated,” but she skipped this line in her oral remarks. Critics suggested this edit was made to avoid contradicting President Trump’s narrative that an imminent nuclear threat still required military action.Fulton County Raid Scrutiny: Democrats questioned DNI Gabbard’s unusual personal presence at an FBI raid of a Fulton County, Georgia, election facility earlier in the year, portraying it as political interference in election administration.
Other Threats: The hearing covered the trafficking of fentanyl by transnational criminal organizations (labeled a “direct threat”) and a Chinese cyber operation that utilized an “AI tool” to extort healthcare and government sectors. [4, 7, 8, 9, 10]
[1] intelligence.house.gov
[2] cbs19.tv
[3] youtube.com
[4] defenseone.com
[5] gtlaw.com.au[6] youtube.com
[7] cbsnews.com
[8] newrepublic.com
[9] cbsnews.com
[10] 25newsnow.com— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) Mar 19, 2026
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