Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was one of the less-active officials in the chat itself, but she also found herself having to justify the conversation alongside Ratcliffe at hearings this week.
Gabbard sought to say as little as possible about the matter, blaming her inability to remember parts of the chat as she sidestepped questions.
In the first hearing, on Tuesday, Gabbard said she didn’t recall any specific weapons systems or timing being mentioned. When she was pressed on this the next day after the full texts of the chats were released, Gabbard said her answer had been “based on my recollection, or the lack thereof on the details that were posted there.”
Gabbard struggled to stick to a singular narrative, initially declining to confirm her participation in the chat before later stating on multiple occasions that it contained no classified information.
On at least two occasions, she redirected senators’ questions towards the secretary of Defense.
She also repeatedly referred to an ongoing National Security Council investigation, putting it back in national security adviser Mike Waltz’s court.
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