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Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said at least 18,000 people with known or suspected ties to terrorism entered the United States during the Biden administration, raising concerns about vetting procedures and national security.
Gabbard made the comments during an appearance on Fox News after being asked whether the figure pointed to negligence or security failures under former Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, who served during former President Joe Biden’s term.
“On this specific issue about vetting, for example, among the 18,000 known or suspected terrorists that we know about in this country, my deepest concern is that there is so many more that we are not aware of yet, but of that 18,000 number, 2,000 we know were part of…. Over 100,000 Afghan migrants that came here after President Biden’s disastrous withdrawal of Afghanistan,” Gabbard said.
She said her office has been reviewing data from the National Counterterrorism Center and that whistleblowers who worked there during the Biden administration have come forward. According to Gabbard, those officials conducted vetting but were pressured to accelerate the process in order to move migrants into the country more quickly.
Gabbard said the consequences of those decisions are now becoming apparent.
“What we are seeing right now is the exact result where we have a direct threat on the lives of the American people,” she said, pointing to the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., last month. Gabbard said the attack was carried out by an Afghan migrant who entered the United States during the Biden administration.
“They did not care to fulfill the fundamental responsibility that any President of the United States has to ensure the safety, security, and freedom of the American people,” Gabbard added.
National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent also testified before the House Committee on Homeland Security last week concerning the terror concerns.
“So far, NCTC has identified around 18,000 known and suspected terrorists that the Biden Administration let come into our country. These are individuals, who, under normal circumstances, would never be allowed to enter our country because of their ties to Jihadist groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda,” he testified. “Yet, the Biden Administration not only let them into the country, in many cases, facilitated their entry into the country.”