Source: United States Senator for Oklahoma James Inhofe
U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), today questioned the Honorable Avril Haines, Director of National Intelligence, and Lieutenant General Scott Berrier, Director of Defense Intelligence Agency, on current global threats posed by China and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Inhofe: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. For both of you, the lack of an independent intelligence community significantly worsened Putin’s decision–making in Ukraine. What do you think President Xi, in China, is learning about his intelligence communities? Both of you.
Haines: Thank you. Senator Inhofe, I think it’s a really interesting question. I’d prefer to answer it perhaps in closed session. Would that be alright, sir?
Inhofe: That’s fine. Do you have any comments to make in this open session?
Berrier: Senator, I will take the DNI’s lead on that.
Inhofe: I suspected that. Thank you.
The Biden administration has offered Iran significant sanctions, relief, and return to the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement. General Berrier, would you expect Iran to spend at least some of this sanctions relief on its terrorist proxies and missile programs? Do you agree that if the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] has additional money that they would increase their targeting of Americans and our allies. Let’s say, could they increase that targeting?
Berrier: Yes, Senator, they could increase targeting against our partners in the region as well as U.S. forces if they had increased funding.
Inhofe: I appreciate that very much. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.