Mark Warner poses questions to American intelligence leaders in op-ed

Coinciding with a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing Tuesday morning regarding worldwide threats to America, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner has written an op-ed to the intelligence community.

Warner, of Virginia, is vice chair of the committee and the hearing involves questioning top intelligence leaders, including DNI Tulsi Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and FBI Director Kash Patel, following reports that they and President Donald Trump shared classified information in a group text, which included the editor of the Atlantic by mistake.

“The Senate Intelligence Committee by necessity conducts its work mostly behind closed doors in order to protect our nation’s secrets, but this morning, we will convene for a rare public hearing to question our nation’s top intelligence officials about the threats facing the United States from around the world. This annual hearing has traditionally been a bipartisan priority because it forces our nation’s intelligence leaders to be forthcoming and transparent not only with Congress but with the American people about the myriad of national security challenges our intelligence community grapples with each day,” Warner wrote in his op-ed.

Warner pointed out that Russia continues to illegally invade Ukraine, Iran continues to support terrorists and move closer to a nuclear weapon, and China continues to conduct espionage and cyberhack campaigns for political and economic domination. In the United States, extremists and drug cartels are hard at work.

“So it boggles the mind that the current administration would use this moment to undertake so many actions that severely damage our ability to combat these threats. As our nation’s intelligence leaders prepare to testify before our Committee, there are some tough questions they must answer about Americans’ safety and security,” Warner wrote.

Warner questioned how ending foreign assistance will aid the U.S., such as aid to Ukraine and programs to ensure diseases, including Ebola, do not make it to the U.S.

“And until recently, it paid for the construction of a railway in Africa that would have helped give the United States access to much-needed critical minerals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo – a project that is now looking for Chinese financing.”

Warner questioned how firing the most experienced FBI agents makes the U.S. safer.

“The instability of the last two months also undermines a critical component of our intelligence gathering capabilities: the trust of allies. The intelligence we gather to keep America safe frequently depends on friends who tip us off or have access to sources we lack. Whether it is bellicose threats to annex Greenland, demonstrated ineptitude in protecting undercover personnel exposed over unclassified email, or discussing war plans over group chat, our credibility is already severely endangered. How can our allies trust us when we – without consultation or notice – stop sharing intelligence or providing support to Ukraine, at war for its survival against Russia’s onslaught?”

“Our nation’s intelligence leaders owe the American people nothing less than full and transparent answers about how they plan to deal with the fallout, for the damage of these actions will not be reversed overnight and will inevitably, I fear, make Americans less safe.”