Report: Trump's four key advisers on bombing Iran
President Donald Trump has been coached through the Iran and Israel war by four crucial confidants, but they are surprisingly not all top military brass. Though Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has played a public role in the Trump administration's defense strategy, he is not among the advisors closest to the president on the Iran matter, current and former White House sources say.
Neither is Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, the sources told the Washington Post. Though sources close to the intelligence director push back, saying she's been in regular contact with the president this week and at important meetings.
The most influential figures in Trump's orbit as he weighs a U.S. strikes to take out Iran's nuclear technology are Vice President J.D. Vance , Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine, an outside White House advisor told the outlet.
The group of four is referred to as the 'Tier one' group of decision makers, the advisor shared. These are the men making critical decisions on whether to get involved in the war. These sour advisors are now helping the president sort through contingency plans for U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities that are buried deep under mountains.
Israeli military officials have called on the U.S. to use GB-57 'bunker buster' bombs on the nuclear sites - a weapon that can only be delivered by U.S.-made planes that are captained by American pilots - a move that risks escalating the conflict further. The Pentagon pushed back on the Post report, telling the Daily Mail that Hegseth has not been sidelined amid Caine's rising influence.
'This claim is completely false,' Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement. 'The Secretary is speaking with the President multiple times a day each day and has been with the President in the Situation Room this week. The DNI has been in critical meetings with the president on Iran this week, a senior intelligence official told the Daily Mail on Thursday, saying she's taking part in National Security Council meetings and impromptu White House sessions.
The Gorilla vs. The Gram
Trump has also been consulting with General Michael Erik Kurilla, the four-star head of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) who has earned the imposing nickname 'The Gorilla.' Multiple U.S. officials have said Kurilla has been a more influential voice than the defense secretary and he routinely gets his requests for additional resources approved, making CENTCOM one of the most fortified commands.
Meanwhile, at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), several longtime staffers expressed concern over Gabbard's priorities. Sources inside the ODNI accuse Trump's spy chief of focusing on her appearance rather than her intelligence work, CNN reports. These staffers pointed to her polished Instagram making her appear more like a fitness influencer than a Cabinet member.
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