Congressman Castro Statement on Director Gabbard's Firing of Top Two Officials at the National Intelligence Council
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Ranking Member of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, released the following statement:
“Tulsi Gabbard fired the top two officials at the National Intelligence Council for telling the truth. Trump's use of the Alien Enemies Act is built on the fiction that the Venezuelan regime controls the gang Tren De Aragua.We know this is false. I joined Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Himes in calling on Gabbard to publicly release these assessments. I also raised this with CIA Director Ratcliffe and Director Gabbard in the March Intelligence Committee hearing. In that hearing, Director Gabbard misrepresented the intelligence we have all now seen that finds no link between the Venezuelan regime and Tren de Aragua.
“The Director of National Intelligence's most important responsibility is to accurately represent the facts. Instead, she has fired the top two officials at the National Intelligence Council because their analysis was not politically convenient for the President. Under the Trump Administration, intelligence is being politicized and bent to the will of President Trump. That is dangerous because it intimidates intelligence analysts, undercuts the integrity of their work, and undermines our national security.”