President Donald Trump ignored Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s concerns about U.S. agencies’ controversial spying powers and pushed Republican lawmakers to extend them, according to a report.
Gabbard had a meeting with Trump in February in which she raised her concerns about renewing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) without assurances to protect Americans’ privacy, sources told Politico.
Trump did not heed Gabbard’s advice and instead pushed ahead, demanding that the House extend the program by another 18 months without any changes.
The legislation allows the CIA, the National Security Agency, the FBI, and other federal agencies to conduct sweeping surveillance without a warrant of foreign individuals outside the U.S. who may pose national security risks. There have long been concerns that FISA can also be used to collect private information on Americans communicating with foreign targets.
The report that Trump did not listen to Gabbard comes as the House voted to pass a short-term renewal of Section 702 of FISA until April 30, after several GOP lawmakers broke ranks and voted against Trump’s push for an 18-month extension.
Tensions between Gabbard and Trump have escalated amid the president’s war in Iran. Gabbard has previously spoken out against the U.S. launching additional conflicts in the Middle East and has staunchly opposed America’s aggressive foreign policy.
Last week, Axios reported that Trump had to be talked out of firing Gabbard by longtime ally Roger Stone because she does not fully endorse the war in Iran.
Trump is also alleged to have “scolded” Gabbard and “questioned her loyalty” during a private meeting after she refused to condemn Joe Kent, the president’s former top counterterrorism official.
Kent, who served under Gabbard, resigned as director of the National Counterterrorism Center in March because he could not “in good conscience” support the war in Iran, saying the country posed “no imminent threat” to the U.S.
Gabbard, who sold “No War With Iran” T-shirts on her 2020 presidential campaign website, also floundered when she was grilled under oath at a congressional hearing in March about whether she supported the war in Iran. At one point, she deflected by stating she was not there to share her “personal views or opinions.”
Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman, has long expressed concern about FISA. She has largely remained silent while the Trump administration pushed for the House to extend the act for another 18 months.
Nor has she been present during closed-door meetings where administration officials tried to strong-arm GOP lawmakers into backing Trump’s extension, according to Politico.
The only public comment of note from Gabbard about extending Section 702 came at the congressional hearing last month, where she offered half-hearted support for the president’s 18-month extension. “That is the president’s position, and that is the position of the intelligence community,” she said.
Olivia Coleman, a spokesperson for Gabbard, told Politico that even without her, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence has “participated in and coordinated numerous briefings and discussions at the staff and member levels in both the House and the Senate regarding 702 authorities, as is standard procedure for ODNI when FISA 702 is up for reauthorization.”
The Daily Beast has contacted ODNI for comment.
