The Trump administration’s top intelligence chiefs are set to testify before Congress Wednesday, with lawmakers expected to grill them over the justifications for the military strikes by the U.S. and Israel on Iran.
FBI Director Kash Patel, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Defense Intelligence Agency Director James Adams III and Acting Director of the National Security Agency William Hartman will appear at 10 a.m. ET before the Senate Intelligence Committee.
The hearing comes less than a day after Joe Kent, the outgoing director of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigned from his position, citing the Iran war.
In a scathing letter, Kent, a longtime ally of President Donald Trump, accused him of going to war with Iran under pressure from Israel and said he did not believe that Iran posed an immediate threat to the U.S.
Administration officials have insisted Iran was on the brink of building a nuclear weapon and that threat needed to be eliminated. However, the annual threat assessment intelligence report from 2025, produced during the last year of the Biden administration, found that Iran “is not building a nuclear weapon.”
Tom Cotton begins by praising Trump administration for Iran and Venezeula
Senator Tom Cotton, Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, began Wednesday’s hearing by praising the Trump administration for securing U.S. safety by conducting missile strikes on Iran and capturing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
Ariana Baio18 March 2026 14:12
Watch Live: Kash Patel and Tulsi Gabbard testify to Congress about Iran war
Independent Video18 March 2026 14:00
Senate Intelligence Chair says intelligence gathering has been successful
Senator Tom Cotton, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Wednesday morning that the hearing was “a very important occasion” so intelligence officials can tell Americans how they’re making the country a safer place.
“What we’re going to her today is that while the world’s still a dangerous place, it’s safer for America than it was a year ago thanks to President Trump’s leadership,” Cotton told Fox News.
“These agencies have undergone a lot of reforms in the last year, to get back to their core mission of collecting intelligence that helps us protect our nation.”
Ariana Baio18 March 2026 13:41
Another anti-war message from Tulsi Gabbard surfaces as she emerges to defend Iran war
A resurfaced tweet posted by Gabbard on May 16, 2019, when she was a Hawaii Democratic congresswoman running to be that party’s presidential nominee, finds her attacking Trump for sabre-rattling against Tehran during his first term.
“Trump promised to get the U.S. out of ‘stupid wars,’” she wrote. “But now he and [then-national security adviser] John Bolton are on the brink of launching us into a very stupid and costly war with Iran. Join me in sending a strong message to President Trump: The U.S. must NOT go to war with Iran.”
Joe Sommerlad18 March 2026 13:26
Trump insists Iran is the ‘Number one’ state sponsor of terrorism
President Donald Trump said Wednesday, ahead of the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, that Iran was the “NUMBER ONE” state sponsor of terrorism.
“Remember, for all of those absolute ‘fools’ out there, Iran is considered, by everyone, to be the NUMBER ONE STATE SPONSOR OF TERROR. We are rapidly putting them out of business!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Democratic lawmakers have expressed intense skepticism over the president’s justification for going to war.
Ariana Baio18 March 2026 13:09
Read the scathing resignation letter from Trump’s now former counterterrorism chief
The director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Joe Kent, announced his sudden resignation on Tuesday, citing his concerns about President Donald Trump’s strikes in Iran.
Kent, 45, said he “cannot in good conscience” back the administration’s war.
A former political candidate with connections to right-wing extremists, Kent was confirmed to his post last July on a 52-44 vote.
As head of the National Counterterrorism Center, he oversaw an agency tasked with analyzing and detecting terrorist threats.
Paul Farrell18 March 2026 12:40
Welcome to The Independent’s live blog
Welcome to The Independent’s live blog, where we will be covering the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing beginning at 10 a.m. ET.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, FBI Director Kash Patel, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and other officials will be testifying about intelligence that led to the Iran war.
Ariana Baio18 March 2026 12:35
