WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, issued the following statement:

“Our Constitution places the gravest decisions about the use of military force in the hands of Congress for a reason. Using military force to enact regime change demands the closest scrutiny, precisely because the consequences do not end with the initial strike.

“If the United States asserts the right to use military force to invade and capture foreign leaders it accuses of criminal conduct, what prevents China from claiming the same authority over Taiwan’s leadership? What stops Vladimir Putin from asserting similar justification to abduct Ukraine’s president? Once this line is crossed, the rules that restrain global chaos begin to collapse, and authoritarian regimes will be the first to exploit it.

“None of this absolves Maduro. He is a corrupt authoritarian who has repressed his people, stolen elections, imprisoned political opponents, and presided over a humanitarian catastrophe that has forced millions of Venezuelans to flee. The Venezuelan people deserve democratic leadership, and the United States and the international community should have done far more, years ago, to press for a peaceful transition after Maduro lost a vote of his own citizens. But recognizing Maduro’s crimes does not give any president the authority to ignore the Constitution.

“The hypocrisy underlying this decision is especially glaring. This same president recently pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted in a U.S. court on serious drug trafficking charges, including conspiring with narcotics traffickers while in office. Yet now, the administration claims that similar allegations justify the use of military force against another sovereign nation. You cannot credibly argue that drug trafficking charges demand invasion in one case, while issuing a pardon in another.

“America’s strength comes from our commitment to the rule of law, democratic norms, and constitutional restraint. When we abandon those principles, even in the name of confronting bad actors, we weaken our credibility, endanger global stability, and invite abuses of power that will long outlast any single presidency.” 

###

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Tom Cotton (R-AR), Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, released the following statement after the Senate passed the annual Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 (IAA) as a part of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), following passage last week in the House of Representatives. The IAA represents a bipartisan effort by the Senate and House Intelligence Committees to authorize the funding, provide legal authorities, and ensure vigorous congressional oversight of national security threats and our United States Intelligence Community.

“I thank my colleagues and am glad to see this bill pass once again on a strong bipartisan basis. It provides the Intelligence Community the resources it needs to do its mission while ensuring that we maintain rigorous oversight of the IC’s activities. This year’s IAA responds to important concerns, including by demanding continued support and transparency for AHI victims, ensuring IC facilities can be protected from the growing threat of commercial drones, and requiring cyber protections for our electoral systems. At the same time, it readies the IC for the future by promoting IC energy resiliency, enhancing the IC’s ability to detect and counter threats related to emerging biotechnology, and ensuring the IC adopts artificial intelligence in a secure and responsible manner. While I am disappointed that we were unable to reach agreement on a provision to secure our Nation’s telecom infrastructure, I look forward to continuing to work with my Senate colleagues to address the unprecedented Salt Typhoon breach that exposed the personal data and communications of millions of Americans,” said Sen. Warner.

“I’d like to thank my colleagues for supporting this bill and the many members of both the House and Senate Intelligence Committees for building this bill and getting it across the finish line. Since becoming chairman, I have been clear about the need for real reform across the entire intelligence community, starting with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The FY26 IAA will enact many of these reforms, which will mean a more efficient intelligence community and a safer United States. This law also includes many other important provisions to ensure and enhance our nation’s security. These include prohibiting the intelligence community from contracting with Chinese military companies, improving the security of CIA installations, identifying the threat to America’s food security posed by Communist China, and directing necessary resources towards defending our nation from threats posed by Iran. I’m glad this bill passed both houses of Congress as part of the NDAA and I look forward to it being signed into law by the President,” said Sen. Cotton.

The Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 will:

• Significantly reform and improve efficiencies and effectiveness within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the broader Intelligence Community;
• Prohibit the Intelligence Community from contracting with Chinese military companies engaged in biotechnology research, development, or manufacturing;
• Improve the Intelligence Community’s artificial intelligence capabilities and capacity and establish guidance for the Intelligence Community’s procurement and use of artificial intelligence;
• Increase transparency to Congress regarding Iran’s enrichment activities, including decisions to weaponize uranium;
• Improve the security of Central Intelligence Agency installations;
• Require the Intelligence Community to develop a plan for sharing biotechnological threats with U.S. agencies, allies, and private-sector partners;
• Require the Director of National Intelligence to identify sites for deployment of advanced nuclear technologies;
• Establish a strategy to support Intelligence Community efforts to acquire and integrate emerging technologies proven to meet mission needs;
• Require any Intelligence Community element with information regarding Iranian lethal threats to United States persons to provide the information to the FBI and to any person responsible for protecting the intended victim;
• Support the Intelligence Community workforce by requiring the Director of National Intelligence to issue standard guidelines for Intelligence Community personnel to document and report Anomalous Health Incidents; 
• Expose the People’s Republic of China’s investments that are undermining America’s agricultural security.
• Mandate an annual Intelligence Community survey of analytic objectivity among each element’s officers and employees, and ensure that analytic training includes instructions on avoiding political bias;
• Mandate Intelligence Community notifications and reporting to ensure greater congressional oversight of the terrorist watchlist or the transnational organized crime watchlist;
• Require the Director of National Intelligence to enhance efforts to counter narcotics trafficking with the Government of Mexico; and
• Promote transparency by requiring the Director of National Intelligence to conduct a declassification review and publish intelligence relating to the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

###

WASHINGTON – Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-VA) issued a statement after an investigation by the Department of Defense’s (DoD) independent watchdog found that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth violated DoD policy and endangered the lives of Virginia-based pilots by sharing classified information over an unsecure personal group chat:

“An objective, evidence-based investigation by the Pentagon’s internal watchdog leaves no doubt: Secretary Hegseth endangered the lives of American pilots based aboard the USS Harry S. Truman as they prepared to launch a mission against terrorist targets. By sharing classified operational details on an unsecure group chat on his personal phone, he created unacceptable risks to their safety and to our operational security.

“The report also notes that the IG is aware of several other Signal chats Hegseth used for official business, underscoring that this was not an isolated lapse. It reflects a broader pattern of recklessness and poor judgment from a secretary who has repeatedly shown he is in over his head.

“Our servicemembers, including those stationed in Virginia and around the world, expect and deserve leaders who honor the sacrifices they make every day to protect our nation and never put them at unnecessary risk. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Pete Hegseth should resign, or the president must remove him at once.”

BROADCAST-QUALITY VIDEO IS AVAILABLE HERE

WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, delivered a speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate warning that the United States faces a deepening threat to our security as the Trump administration continues a sweeping political purge of the FBI, dismantles America’s cyber defenses, and hollow outs the institutions responsible for protecting the homeland. Today’s remarks follow a September address in which Warner outlined concerns with the growing politicization of intelligence under the Trump administration.

In his speech today – “A Deepening Threat: How Politicizing Intelligence Endangers Our National Security” – Warner detailed how thousands of FBI agents and senior leaders have been forced out for political reasons, including the heads of the Bureau’s counterterrorism, intelligence, cyber, and critical incident response units. He warned that these purges, combined with the unprecedented reassignment of 25 to 45 percent of FBI agents working counterterrorism, cyber, espionage, and child exploitation cases to President Trump’s immigration roundups, have sharply reduced the Bureau’s ability to prevent attacks, disrupt foreign plots, and respond to cyber intrusions.

“Firing agents who investigate terrorists, foreign spies, cyber hackers, and child predators does not make America safer, especially when the president’s own intelligence officials warn, publicly and repeatedly, of the many threats facing our nation,” said Warner today.

Warner also highlighted the administration’s dismantling of core cyber infrastructure beyond the FBI. More than one-third of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has been fired and pushed out, even as ransomware and destructive cyberattacks hit state and local governments in at least 44 states. The administration has removed the leadership of the National Security Agency and Defense Intelligence Agency, left U.S. Cyber Command without a permanent commander, and disbanded the Foreign Influence Task Force responsible for safeguarding U.S. elections from foreign interference.

Quoting the intelligence community’s own assessments, Warner underscored the intensifying threat environment: Beijing expanding AI-enabled malign influence operations; Moscow increasing the sophistication and volume of its disinformation and cyber activities; and Iran enhancing its capacity for aggressive cyberattacks on U.S. networks and infrastructure.

Warner warned that the administration’s political interference, including the gutting of the FBI’s operational capabilities and the erosion of federal cyber defenses, is leaving Americans at growing risk.

“The next attack will not wait for Congress to act,” Warner said. “And when it comes, the consequences will not be measured in polling numbers or election results. They will be measured in lives lost, infrastructure damaged, and national security compromised.”

Warner reiterated that he will return to the Senate floor in the coming weeks to continue highlighting instances of political interference across the federal government’s national security apparatus and to press for urgent action to restore integrity and protect the American people.

Senator Warner’s remarks as prepared for delivery appear below:

M. President, two months ago, I came to this floor to warn about the growing politicization of our intelligence community.

I laid out, in detail, how this administration, led by Director of National Intelligence Gabbard, was dismantling the independence, integrity, and credibility of the very institutions we rely on to keep Americans safe.

I had hoped that by sounding that alarm early, the administration might reconsider its actions… or at the very least, slow its march toward turning our intelligence agencies into instruments of political loyalty.

But instead, the situation has grown only more dangerous.

And I want to say at the outset: this will not be the last time I come to this floor on this issue.

I intend to continue making these speeches… for as long as it takes… because the stakes for our national security are too high to let this pattern go unchallenged.

Since my remarks in September, we’ve seen not restraint, but an escalation… an escalation of political retaliation, of the hollowing out of expertise, and of the outright manipulation of intelligence. We are watching, in real time, an administration strip away the guardrails that have protected this country for generations.

I have had the distinct privilege of representing the people of Virginia in this body since 2009. And in nearly 17 years, one of the most consequential responsibilities I’ve held has been serving on the Senate Intelligence Committee… first as a junior member and then, for the last eight years, as Chairman or Vice Chairman.

I always tell our new members that getting a seat on the Committee is a double-edged sword. 

On the one hand, you get access to things that no other Senators see… you see capabilities that would astonish even the most seasoned spy-novel reader among us.

But the other edge is harder: you also see the full scope of the threats facing the United States… daily reports about terrorist plots, cyber-attacks, hostile foreign services targeting our citizens and institutions.

And once you’ve seen that picture clearly, you don’t sleep quite so easily at night. 

It’s precisely because those threats are real, persistent, and in many cases, growing, that I’m so deeply concerned about the Trump administration’s reckless actions – actions that have left our country more vulnerable than at any point in recent memory.

Just last month, FBI Director Kash Patel testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee that the FBI has experienced a 300percent increase in terrorist cases opened this year alone… on top of a 30percent increase in foreign espionage cases.

At the Senate Intelligence Committee’s Annual Threat Assessment hearing, Director Gabbard reiterated that foreign terrorists remain intent on striking the United States and our citizens… that a range of cyber and intelligence actors continue to target our critical infrastructure… and that state adversaries possess weapons capable of hitting U.S. territory and disabling vital U.S. systems. Indeed, in an interview earlier this month, Director Gabbard repeated that “terrorism continues to pose the greatest – both short- and long-term – threat to the American people.”

Whatever one thinks of the individuals delivering them, the assessments themselves leave no ambiguity about the dangers confronting the United States.

And yet, in spite of those clear and present threats, the Trump administration has chosen a course of action that weakens our defenses and leaves Americans more vulnerable to the very risks its own officials have publicly described.

Since Inauguration Day, the president and his hand-picked FBI Director, Kash Patel, have forced out thousands of experienced agents for reasons that appear more political than professional, like refusing to lie about who won the 2020 election, or for prosecuting the violent criminals who attacked Capitol Police officers on January 6, or simply for being friendly with someone critical of the president.

Alarming court filings suggest that even Director Patel has privately acknowledged that many of these actions may be illegal… yet justified them by saying that his position depended on carrying them out.

The list of those purged reads like a Who’s Who of the Bureau’s most decorated public servants:

Those agents forced out include the former Acting Director of the FBI, Brian Driscoll, who rose through the FBI ranks in some of its most elite units, including the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team… where in 2015 he supported U.S. Special Operations in rescuing an American humanitarian aid worker, Kayla Mueller, from ISIS. Special Agent Driscoll would later rise to be the Head of FBI’s Critical Incident Response Group, the FBI’s elite team in charge of dealing with terrorists, child abductors, bomb threats, and hostage situations. For his service, Agent Driscoll was awarded the FBI Medal of Valor and the Shield of Bravery… only to have Director Patel fire him because he would not purge agents the president deemed politically disloyal.

They include Bobby Wells, who joined the FBI shortly after 9/11 and spent decades in counterterrorism. He eventually became the Head of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, leading efforts against Al Qa’ida, ISIS, and other global terrorist networks. Notably, he helped bring to justice the mastermind of the Kabul International Airport bombing that killed 13 American service members – an accomplishment publicly touted by the president – only to have the president fire him shortly thereafter.

They include Michael Nordwall, the Head of the FBI’s Criminal Cyber Response Branch, who led efforts to combat ransomware attacks, online fraud, and sophisticated cyber intrusions targeting critical U.S. infrastructure.

They include Ryan Young, the Head of FBI’s Intelligence Division… overseeing the collection and analysis of intelligence on domestic and foreign threats, ensuring that field offices had the situational awareness to prevent attacks.

Other senior agents forced out include dozens of heads of FBI field offices nationwide, from Washington, D.C., to Miami, New Orleans, Las Vegas, and Seattle. 

Among them was Special Agent Jacqueline Maguire, the lead investigator into the five hijackers of American Airlines Flight 77, whose expertise was critical to understanding 9/11 and preventing further attacks.

And most recently, they include Steven Palmer, a 27-year veteran of the FBI and the third head of the FBI’s elite Critical Incident Response Group to be fired in just three months. As head of the Critical Incident Response Group, he led teams tasked with responding to terrorist attacks, mass shootings, hostage crises, and high-risk national security incidents… work that requires split-second decision-making under extreme pressure. He was fired not for failing in his duties, not for misconduct, and not for political disagreements about law enforcement policy.

He was fired because the American people learned that Director Patel had been using the FBI’s $60 million jet, at $20,000 per flight, to go on dates with his girlfriend. To make matters worse, recent reporting indicates that Patel has now also pulled agents off of an FBI SWAT team to provide a personal security detail for his girlfriend… an unprecedented use of some of one our nation’s most elite units, ordinarily assigned to deal with terrorism, hostage situations, or mass shootings.

Thousands of FBI agents… all forced out, not because they failed to do their jobs, but because they refused to bend the knee to partisan politics. 

And as if that weren’t alarming enough, in recent months the FBI has reassigned between 25 and 45 percent of its agents who handle counterterrorism, cyber, espionage, child sexual abuse, and other critical missions… to immigration enforcement.

Data reveals a 33 percent decrease in the hours spent on child exploitation cases, compared to previous years.

Firing agents who investigate terrorists, foreign spies, cyber hackers, and child predators does not make America safer, especially when the president’s own intelligence officials warn, publicly and repeatedly, of the many threats facing our nation. 

Just this summer, the ODNI issued a bulletin warning of Al Qa-ida and ISIS plots targeting the homeland. And just last month, the FBI disrupted ISIS terrorist plots in Michigan and New Jersey that may have been aimed at Halloween festivities.

I shudder to think what would have happened had the FBI missed these plots… had semi-automatic rifles been unleashed on young children trick-or-treating.

The FBI Agents Association, which represents over 90percent of all active FBI agents, issued a sobering warning earlier this month that Director Patel, quote, “disregarded the law and launched a campaign of erratic and arbitrary retribution” and that his actions, quote, “make the American public less safe.”

Unfortunately, this political purge of our country’s defenses is not limited to the FBI. 

Since April, the National Security Agency – the agency in charge of spying on the communications of our adversaries – has been without a permanent Director or Deputy Director after President Trump fired General Tim Haugh and his Deputy, Wendy Noble, at the behest of conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer. 

Same for the Defense Intelligence Agency, whose director, General Jeff Kruse, was fired after DIA provided a fact-based assessment that contradicted the president’s false televised claim that U.S. strikes had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program.

This pattern of reckless firings has extended to nearly every corner of our national security enterprise. 

Hundreds of workers who are responsible for maintaining our country’s nuclear weapons… fired. 

Staff managing foreign assistance programs ranging from the detention of ISIS terrorists in Syria to air defense support for Ukraine… fired. 

Hundreds of analysts monitoring China and Russia… fired… including a 29-year veteran of the CIA who supported President Trump’s Alaska Summit with President Putin… whose undercover identity was publicly and incompetently disclosed by DNI Tulsi Gabbard.

More than one-third of CISA – the agency Congress established for the explicit purpose of protecting our critical infrastructure like water, power, and our elections – fired…  even as major cyberattacks hit state and local governments in at least 44 states, including a massive ransomware attack on Nevada’s online government systems in August, a ransomware attack in July on local government networks in St. Paul, Minnesota, and a cyberattack on city systems in Mission, Texas in February.

The irony is stark: despite persistent efforts by China, Russia, Iran, and other adversaries, the 2020 presidential election was one of the most secure in history, thanks in large part to steps taken during the Trump administration’s first term to safeguard our critical infrastructure.

Yet now, much of that hard-won protection has been dismantled, leaving Americans more vulnerable than ever.

Cyber Command, which under General Paul Nakasone disrupted Russian troll farms in 2017, lacks a permanent Commander.  The Foreign Influence Task Force – stood up by President Trump in his first term to share information with state and local partners about foreign interference in our elections – has been disbanded entirely.

And all the while, the administration’s own intelligence reporting warns – and I quote:

“Beijing will continue to expand its coercive and subversive malign influence activities to weaken the United States…[and] is likely to feel emboldened to use malign influence more regularly in coming years, particularly as it fields AI to improve its capabilities.”

“Moscow’s malign influence activities will continue for the foreseeable future and will almost certainly increase in sophistication and volume.”

“Iran’s growing expertise and willingness to conduct aggressive cyber operations make it a major threat to the security of U.S. networks and data.”

The pattern is unmistakable: political loyalty is now valued over competence, and the very institutions created to protect Americans are being dismantled before our eyes.

We can no longer pretend that politics and national security are separate. Every day we allow this purge to continue is a day we leave Americans more exposed – in their homes, on their streets, and online.

The next attack will not wait for Congress to act. The next threat will not ask permission. And when it comes, the consequences will not be measured in polling numbers or election results. They will be measured in lives lost, infrastructure damaged, and national security compromised.

This is the moment to stand up. To defend our intelligence agencies, to protect our agents, and to safeguard the American people. If we fail to act now, we will bear the cost later… a cost that could be catastrophic.

Thank you. I yield the floor.

###

BROADCAST-QUALITY VIDEO  IS AVAILABLE HERE

WASHINGTON – On the floor of the United States Senate today, Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, delivered a major address entitled “The Politicization of Intelligence: A Threat to Our National Security.” In his remarks, Sen. Warner warned that President Trump and Director of National Intelligence Gabbard have systematically undermined the independence of the nation’s intelligence community, highlighting how firings, revoked clearances, and retaliatory reassignments have silenced decades of expertise, punished analysts for telling the truth, and endangered America’s ability to confront threats from adversaries.

“These are professionals who serve under Republican and Democratic administrations alike. They are career officials who put duty before politics. Who swear an oath not to any president but to the Constitution of the United States,” said Warner today. “Yet as this administration fires and denigrates these very men and women, as expertise that takes literally decades to build is being thrown away because it conflicts with political talking points, as assessments grounded in fact are being shelved in favor of conspiracy theories, our adversaries are conspiring, sharing intelligence and military capabilities, and strategizing over how to weaken the United States while advancing a very different authoritarian vision for the world.”

“At the same time, I fear the integrity of our intelligence is being sacrificed on the altar of partisan convenience,” Warner continued. “Mr. President, this is not some kind of inside-the-Beltway turn battle and it’s not another partisan disagreement. I believe at stake is something much more fundamental – whether America will continue to have an intelligence community free to speak truth to power.”

Senator Warner’s remarks as prepared for delivery appear below:

M. President, I rise today out of deep concern for the future of our intelligence community and, in turn, the security of the United States.

For months now, we’ve watched President Trump’s administration – led in this arena by his hand-picked Director of National Intelligence, Ms. Gabbard – systematically undermine the men and women whose only mission is to keep this country safe.

These are professionals who serve under Republican and Democratic administrations alike. They are career officials who put duty before politics, who swear an oath not to any president, but to the Constitution of the United States.

As this administration fires and denigrates those very men and women…

As expertise that takes decades to build is being thrown away because it conflicts with political talking points…

As assessments grounded in fact are being shelved in favor of conspiracy theories…

Our adversaries are conspiring, sharing intelligence and military capabilities, and strategizing over how to weaken the United States while advancing a different authoritarian vision for the world.

At the same time, I fear, the integrity of our intelligence is being sacrificed on the altar of partisan convenience.

M. President, this is not some inside-the-Beltway turf battle, and it is not just another partisan disagreement.

At stake is something much more fundamental: whether America will continue to have an intelligence community free to “speak truth to power,” or whether political pressure will blind us to the very real threats our nation faces.

History shows us what happens when intelligence is ignored, manipulated, or kept from those who need it most.

In 1941, the United States Navy intercepted communications showing that Japan was planning to attack Pearl Harbor. That knowledge, however, was of little use, because it was not communicated to the people who could take action to protect the fleet. The result was a devastating surprise that cost thousands of American lives.

In the aftermath, Congress resolved that we could never again afford to be blindsided. In 1947, Congress created the Central Intelligence Agency, the modern Department of Defense, and other institutions to ensure that unfiltered, unbiased intelligence is provided to the president, to Congress, and to our military. These institutions are meant to protect us from surprises, and to give policymakers the truth, even when it is uncomfortable or inconvenient.

For the most part, this system has worked.

But it has never been perfect.

The abuses revealed by the Church Committee in the 1970s made clear why strong congressional oversight is essential. That’s why Congress established the Senate Intelligence Committee in 1976, and our House counterpart the following year.

Today, while not flawless, these committees remain the best check we have to ensure our intelligence agencies uphold American values and laws, avoid repeating past mistakes, and learn from them when they do occur.

Even with our modern system of congressional oversight, we have seen tragic failures: intelligence failed to predict the collapse of the Soviet Union. We failed to “connect the dots” before 9/11. And perhaps most foreboding, in the run-up to the Iraq War, intelligence was distorted to fit policy preferences. Intelligence about weapons of mass destruction and Saddam Hussein’s ties to al-Qaeda were inflated and cherry-picked. Analysts who raised doubts were ignored.

The result was a devastating war in Iraq, fought under false pretenses, that cost thousands of American servicemembers their lives and limbs.

But we learned from these failures: After the September 11th attacks, Congress placed additional safeguards and created a new position: Director of National Intelligence. The objective was to better coordinate our intelligence agencies, to avoid “group-think,” to remove silos among our intelligence agencies, and to ensure that analysts could provide thorough, candid assessments – even when the truth was uncomfortable or unwelcome. 

That was the commitment I asked the current Director of National Intelligence, Ms. Gabbard, to make during her confirmation hearing. And she assured our Committee and the American people that she would protect the independence of the intelligence community – ensure that the IC is never politicized. She even pointed to the run-up to the war in Iraq as the clearest example of what happens when intelligence is bent to fit policy, and the president is told only what he wants to hear. She pledged that she would never allow those mistakes to be repeated on her watch. 

But, M. President, in only six months, we have seen the opposite from this administration.

We’ve seen career FBI agents – people who have risked their lives for this country – forced out of their positions simply for investigating crimes connected to the January 6th insurrection. These were professionals following the law, performing their sworn duties, and yet their service was treated as disloyalty.

Careers were ended, and decades of expertise were discarded, just for doing the job they were entrusted to do.

We’ve seen the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the National Intelligence Council dismissed because their well-documented, evidence-based assessment of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua criminal network did not align with the administration’s preferred narrative.

These analysts presented carefully sourced intelligence showing that the gang acted independently of the Venezuelan government – not at the behest of foreign officials – and yet their findings were rejected, and their leadership positions removed, simply because the truth did not fit a politically convenient story.

To be clear, there is no question that both Maduro’s regime and TdA are ruthless actors who pose real threats… but punishing intelligence officials for telling the truth only weakens our ability to confront them effectively.

We’ve seen the three-star general leading the Defense Intelligence Agency pushed out after analysts produced a straightforward, evidence-based assessment showing that Iran’s nuclear program had not been “obliterated,” as President Trump so loudly claimed.

Rather than face facts, the administration decided to punish the messenger.

We’ve seen analysts with decades of experience on Russia stripped of their security clearances, or reassigned, at the very moment their expertise is needed most.

DNI Gabbard has personally revoked the clearances of at least 37 individuals in a transparently political act of vengeance, sweeping aside decades of experience with the stroke of a pen, and, in at least one case, exposing an official working under cover.

We’ve seen statutory requirements to keep Congress fully and currently informed ignored, oversight stymied and obstructed, and inspectors general and their personnel silenced, forced out, or removed.

We’ve even seen highly sensitive intelligence declassified and released, for clearly political purposes, without proper coordination with the agencies responsible for protecting sources and methods. These disclosures risk revealing the identities of assets, the techniques we rely on, and the credibility of ongoing operations… all for the sake of advancing a political narrative. The very tools that protect lives and maintain America’s strategic advantage are being treated as leverage in a partisan game.

Let’s remember: the so-called “Russia hoax” assessment, which this administration continues to disparage, was a coordinated, unanimous finding by the entire intelligence community.

Our Committee – on a bipartisan, unanimous basis – reviewed it and validated it. Extensively. Not a single one of my Republican colleagues objected to its findings, including the current Secretary of State, then-Committee Chairman Senator Rubio.

And what did that assessment actually conclude? That Russia conducted a sweeping and systematic campaign to interfere in our 2016 election. That Moscow’s goal was to sow chaos, to undermine faith in American democracy, and specifically to boost Donald Trump’s candidacy. These findings were not partisan talking points. They were the sober judgment of career professionals, backed by evidence, and affirmed by both parties in Congress.

And, as troubling as all of this is, what may be most astonishing is who seems to be calling the shots. Not seasoned national security leaders. Not career intelligence professionals. But conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer… a figure who has called the 9/11 terrorist attacks “an inside job,” who has described herself as a “pro-white nationalist” and a “proud Islamophobe,” and who has made openly racist and anti-Muslim statements.

This is not someone with even a shred of credibility, let alone the experience or the judgment we should demand from those influencing U.S. national security decisions.

Yet time and again, we have seen senior officials pushed out of their posts because Ms. Loomer decided they were not sufficiently loyal to the president. National Security Council staffers – people well known and respected on both sides of the aisle, including staffers who worked for my Republican colleagues in the Senate – were shown the door at her demand.

The top two officials at the National Security Agency – including a well-respected four-star general, Timothy Haugh – forced out, along with the agency’s general counsel… again at Loomer’s behest.

These are critical posts in one of our most important intelligence organizations, vacated not because of misconduct or failure, but because of the whims of a political provocateur whose public record is filled with hate and conspiracies.

And just a few weeks ago, we saw something that I believe should trouble every member of this body, regardless of party.

My staff and I had arranged a visit to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, located in my home state of Virginia, so that I could perform my constitutional duty of oversight… and meet with intelligence professionals who also happen to be my constituents. Yet at the last minute, that visit was blocked… again, apparently, at the direction of Laura Loomer.

M. President, what does it say about the state of our national security when a self-proclaimed white nationalist and Islamophobe, with a personal vendetta against U.S. government officials, someone with no accountability, no clearance, and no sworn duty to the Constitution, can dictate who serves in critical intelligence positions, and even prevent members of this chamber from conducting basic oversight?

M. President: I must also ask you: why is this administration going to war against the very professionals sworn to keep our country safe? Why are decades of service and sacrifice tossed aside, because they are obliged to provide unbiased truth?  Because it is inconvenient? Because their assessments are not what the DNI and the president want to hear?

The safeguards we put in place… the oversight this body provides… only work if intelligence officers know that they can tell the truth without losing their jobs. If analysts believe their careers will be destroyed for offering inconvenient assessments, then we will only get the intelligence the White House wants.

Imagine the consequences if our intelligence community is forced to spend its time chasing down conspiracy theories instead of monitoring terrorist networks, cyber threats, or foreign adversaries.

Imagine if analysts stop flagging real dangers because they fear political retaliation.

Imagine if experienced officers walk away from service altogether because they know their expertise will be dismissed or punished.

That kind of environment doesn’t just weaken our intelligence community, it puts every American family at risk.

M. President, this is not a partisan point. Democrats and Republicans alike have relied on the intelligence community to keep this country safe. Every president, whether they liked what they were hearing or not, has depended on accurate, independent analysis to make decisions that affect millions of lives.

That is what makes the current moment so alarming. We are dismantling trust in institutions that took generations to build. We are eroding morale among some of the most dedicated professionals in public service. And we are sending a clear message to young officers: don’t bother building a career in intelligence if you plan to tell the truth.

Meanwhile, our adversaries aren’t slowing down. Cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, nuclear proliferation, terrorist attacks, transnational criminal organizations… these threats are real, and they will not wait for us to get our house in order. If we let politics dictate what intelligence is acceptable, we are effectively flying blind.

That’s why I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle: take this seriously. We can disagree about policy, but we cannot allow the facts themselves to be corrupted. The intelligence community must remain independent, professional, and committed to the Constitution above all else.

The men and women who dedicate their lives to this work deserve nothing less. And the American people deserve nothing less.

Thank you M. President, I yield the floor.

WASHINGTON – Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the following statement:

“Weeks ago, I arranged an on-site meeting this coming Friday at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s headquarters in Springfield, Va., to connect with the nonpartisan career intelligence professionals who serve our country every day. These are Virginians – my constituents – and I have held more than a dozen similar private listening sessions with NGA and other intelligence agencies in Virginia under both Democratic and Republican presidents, including during President Trump’s first term. Engagements such as these are a core part of my responsibility to provide oversight and support to our intelligence community and hear from Americans who live in Virginia, and they have never been questioned or politicized, until now.  

“Over the weekend, conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer discovered the unpublicized, classified visit and launched a campaign of baseless attacks against both me and NGA Director Vice Admiral Trey Whitworth for hosting what has always been considered a routine oversight meeting. In response to Loomer’s criticism, political appointees canceled the visit, just the latest example of an administration seemingly desperate to please Loomer, a figure with a long history of extreme and outlandish fringe views, including 9/11 denialism, anti-Muslim harassment campaigns, and associations with white supremacists.

“This nakedly political decision undermines the dedicated, nonpartisan staff at NGA and threatens the principle of civilian oversight that protects our national security. Members of Congress routinely conduct meetings and on-site engagements with federal employees in their states and districts; blocking and setting arbitrary conditions on these sessions sets a dangerous precedent, calling into question whether oversight is now allowed only when it pleases the far-right fringe. This should concern Republicans as well as Democrats: if routine oversight can be obstructed for political reasons, no member of Congress is immune.

“Let me be clear: I will never be deterred from carrying out my constitutional responsibilities. The business of government and the security of our nation will not be dictated by extremist attention-seekers. I will continue to hold the government accountable and meet with the career intelligence professionals who keep our country safe.”

###

WASHINGTON – Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-VA), a co-author of the CHIPS and Science Act, released a statement after President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. government would take an equity stake in Intel in exchange for billions in federal funding from the CHIPS law:

“Semiconductors are a cornerstone of global competitiveness, and U.S. leadership is critical for both our economy and national security. Taking an equity stake in Intel may or may not be the right approach, but one thing is clear: allowing cutting-edge chips to flow to China without restraint will erode the value of any investment we make here at home. We need a strategy that protects American innovation, strengthens our workforce, and keeps the technologies of the future firmly in American hands.

“Additionally, given the administration’s recent approach to other high-profile technology transactions, Congress must apply thorough scrutiny for potential conflicts of interest or undue interference in private-sector decisions unrelated to national security.”

Warner has previously warned that the Trump administration’s decision to allow the sale of advanced AI chips to China could strengthen its military systems, including hypersonics, communications, surveillance, and battlefield decision-making, posing significant national security risks.

###

WASHINGTON – Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the following statement after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard arbitrarily and unilaterally revoked security clearances of 37 current and former national security and intelligence officials:   

“Gabbard’s move to yank clearances from a seemingly random list of national security officials is a reckless abuse of the security clearance process and nothing more than another sad attempt to distract from the administration’s failure to release the Epstein files. National security should never be weaponized for political revenge. That’s why I have introduced bipartisan legislation that would explicitly prohibit exactly this kind of political abuse and ensure clearance decisions are based only on established criteria.”

###

WASHINGTON – Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-VA) issued the following statement on DNI Gabbard’s unfounded claims of a coup: 

“It seems DNI Gabbard is unaware that the years-long Russia investigation carried out by the Senate Intelligence Committee reaffirmed that ‘the Russian government directed extensive activity against U.S. election infrastructure’ ahead of the 2016 election, and that it ‘used social media to conduct an information warfare campaign’ in order to benefit Donald Trump. This conclusion was supported on a unanimous basis by every single Democrat and Republican on the committee. 

“It is sadly not surprising that DNI Gabbard, who promised to depoliticize the intelligence community, is once again weaponizing her position to amplify the president’s election conspiracy theories. It is appalling to hear DNI Gabbard accuse her own IC workforce of committing a ‘treasonous conspiracy’ when she was unwilling to label Edward Snowden a traitor.” 

###

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and Sen. Todd Young (R-IN), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, wrote to leadership at the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) expressing the need for the agencies to exercise all available authorities to protect the sensitive genomic information of Americans, including in the bankruptcy proceedings of 23andMe, a personal genomics and biotechnology company that holds the DNA and sensitive information of millions of individuals.

The senators highlighted the attempts by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and other foreign adversaries to collect this type of genomic data from Americans and the various ways in which the PRC has used sensitive biometric data for surveillance efforts.

“As the Chinese government has realized, genomic data is incredibly valuable. Biological data is critical to biomedical discovery, particularly when, as here, it contains substantial amounts of personal genomic data. It can be used to create, design, and optimize everything from biopharmaceuticals and medical devices to optimizing AI models for medical applications,” the senators wrote. “The PRC also has demonstrated a sustained effort to leverage genomic and other biometric data for extensive surveillance; accessing this data - either directly or indirectly - could further enable PRC transnational surveillance, including posing counter-intelligence threats to the United States. In addition, genomic data can be used to create dual-use technologies that, on the one hand, could help create vaccines for diseases, but on the other hand, can be weaponized by our adversaries to for malign intent.”

While applauding the recent actions by the Justice Department in current proceedings, the senators underscored the need to take more steps to ensure that bad actors are prevented from acquiring, legally or illegally, Americans’ genomic information. 

The senators continued, “In addition to the Department's recent filing, and any anticipated CFIUS review, the Department, in conjunction with the Commission and other U.S. agencies as appropriate, must closely monitor the sale or transfer of, or access to, 23andMe's genomic databank, regardless of whether that activity is in the ordinary course of business, for compliance with all applicable statutes related to national security and consumer protection.”

This is the latest effort by Sen. Warner to safeguard Americans’ data and sensitive information from adversaries. As Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Sen. Warner has worked to ensure the U.S. is prepared to counter threats posed by foreign adversaries including the PRC across various sectors. Sen. Warner spearheaded the push to force CCP-based Bytedance to divest from TikTok in order to allow the app to continue operations in the United States. Last year, Sen. Warner introduced the Countering CCP Drones and Supporting Drones for Law Enforcement Act, legislation to cut off dangerous CCP drone companies from the U.S. telecommunication infrastructure. Sen. Warner also introduced bipartisan and bicameral legislation to improve information sharing between private companies and the Intelligence Community in order to mitigate the threat that foreign adversaries including the CCP pose to United States companies in foreign jurisdictions on projects relating to energy generation and storage, including in the critical minerals industry, and earlier this year, Sen. Warner introduced legislation aimed at shoring up America’s response to financial threats stemming from the PRC.

A copy of letter is available here and text is below.

Dear Attorney General Bondi and Chairman Ferguson:

We write to urge the Department of Justice ("Department") and the Federal Trade Commission ("Commission") to exercise the full scope of their legal and statutory authorities in 23andMe Holding Co. ("23andMe")'s bankruptcy proceeding. We commend the Department on its April 22, 2025 filing in the 23andMe bankruptcy proceeding, recognizing that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) should review this transaction in light of the substantial national security concerns involved. However, additional action from agencies are necessary in order to prevent adversaries, including the People's Republic of China (PRC), from acquiring millions of Americans' genomic data.

Chinese authorities have already collected genomic data on millions of their own citizens, and continue to actively target foreign companies, including in the U.S., for acquisition or investment, as well for theft, in order to obtain foreign individuals' genomic data, creating serious implications for national security, public health, economic security, and Americans' privacy. As the Chinese government has realized, genomic data is incredibly valuable. Biological data is critical to biomedical discovery, particularly when, as here, it contains substantial amounts of personal genomic data. It can be used to create, design, and optimize everything from biopharmaceuticals and medical devices to optimizing AI models for medical applications. The PRC also has demonstrated a sustained effort to leverage genomic and other biometric data for extensive surveillance; accessing this data - either directly or indirectly - could further enable PRC transnational surveillance, including posing counter-intelligence threats to the United States. In addition, genomic data can be used to create dual-use technologies that, on the one hand, could help create vaccines for diseases, but on the other hand, can be weaponized by our adversaries to for malign intent.

In order to prevent China from weaponizing this data, or outcompeting the U.S. economically, the U.S. must urgently prioritize the protection of biological and genomic data, particularly of Americans, starting with that held by 23andMe.

As the Department notes in its recent filing, its Data Security Program must be better utilized to ensure the protection, and prevent the acquisition, of Americans' sensitive genomic data. In addition to the Department's recent filing, and any anticipated CFIUS review, the Department, in conjunction with the Commission and other U.S. agencies as appropriate, must closely monitor the sale or transfer of, or access to, 23andMe's genomic databank, regardless of whether that activity is in the ordinary course of business, for compliance with all applicable statutes related to national security and consumer protection. Chairman Ferguson's letter to the Office of the U.S. Trustee lays out a clear rationale for robust oversight by the Justice Department over the legal obligations and protections that 23andMe owes its customers ("users"). 23andMe's users also should have the ability to remove their genetic data from acquisition by a foreign government or entities under the control or influence of a foreign government, including data associated with other personally-identifiable information and any other data generated by 23andMe that uses genetic data in the aggregate.

23andMe's users provided their sensitive, personal genetic data to a privately-owned U.S. company, potentially without fully understanding the implications of this data falling into the hands of adversaries, including cybercriminals and foreign nation-states. Further, the genetic information held in 23andMe's databank has implications for relatives of 23andMe users who share common genetic markers, creating additional privacy concerns for such individuals who had no opportunity to consent to how 23andMe's data could be used in ways that affect them.

Outside of this proceeding, we urge the Department, the Commission, and other relevant federal entities to closely monitor future transactions, and use all levers as appropriate, where foreign entities, particularly those under the control or influence of foreign nations of concern, are attempting to purchase - through bankruptcy proceedings or otherwise-Americans' sensitive biologic and genomic data. To this end, we encourage the DOJ to evaluate any appropriate updates to its recently-released Final Rule,6 implementing Executive Order 14117 on "Preventing Access to Americans' Bulk Sensitive Personal Data and United States Government-Related Data by Countries of Concern", to address any novel risks posed by potential acquisition (and resale) of 23andMe data by covered vendors.

In addition, the Department and the Commission must work with lead agencies to support the cybersecurity of genomic data. In March 2022, 23andMe suffered a security breach that compromised the genetic information of millions of users, underscoring concerns around genomic data privacy and misuse.

In short, it is paramount to our national and economic security that there is a whole-of­ government approach to protecting Americans' sensitive genomic data, including by preventing malign entities from gaining access to such data through commercial acquisition, cyberattacks, or other illicit means. We remain committed to working with the Department, the Commission, and the Administration broadly on this issue.

###