Congressman Cohen Questions Intelligence Officials About Oil Prices and Sacking Iran Experts

WASHINGTON - Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) today questioned leading intelligence officials at a House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence hearing on threats to national security.

Congressman Cohen asked FBI Director Kash Patel about his firing of at least 12 FBI counterintelligence analysts with expertise on Iran days before the war broke out and whether they were terminated because of their role in investigating President Trump's unauthorized storage of classified documents in his Mar-a-Lago bathroom.

In responses to Congressman Cohen's questions, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard acknowledged President Trump was aware of an unclassified intelligence assessment from last year that predicted closing off the Strait of Hormuz and "disrupting shipping" would likely be a retaliatory action taken by Iran if it were attacked. Knowing that he was aware of that prediction, Congressman Cohen asked why the president didn't take steps to strengthen the defense of this critical oil transportation route before February 28 attacks.

Congressman Cohen's questions about Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium were deferred to a closed, classified hearing immediately after today's public session.

See Congressman Cohen's exchange with the witnesses here.

Witnesses at today's hearing were:

• The Honorable Tulsi Gabbard, Director, Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI);
• The Honorable John L. Ratcliffe, Director, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA);
• The Honorable Kash Patel, Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI);
• Lieutenant General William J. Hartman, Acting Director, National Security Agency; and
• Lieutenant General James H. Adams, Director, Defense Intelligence Agency

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