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U.S. Senate Select Committee on intelligence discusses world threats
By Conor Hollingsworth,
2024-03-12
From threats at the border to the dangers of TikTok, U.S. Senators, including Virginia Senator Mark Warner, certainly had their plates full after the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence's annual hearing on worldwide threats on Monday.
The meeting featured testimony from the heads of U.S. Intelligence agencies, including CIA Director Bill Burns and FBI Director Christopher Wray.
Starting off with China. The officials said that the Asian country may attempt to influence the U.S. 2024 elections, as they could want to capitalize on the growing polarization between parties.
Politicians also raised concerns about the TikTok app, as it is owned and controlled by a Chinese company.
Officials agreed that if the app was owned by a country like Belgium or the United Kingdom it would not be a worry. However, because it is owned by a Chinese company, it raises concerns regarding propaganda and access to the data of American citizens.
As we enter the third year of the war in the Ukraine, Directors say the importance of continued U.S. support is clear. Director Burns stressed that the United States is running out of time to help them, as Ukrainians have dwindling valuable resources, like ammunition, in the fight against Russia.
Burns also admitted that Israel is playing a role in stopping much needed humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, causing widespread famine and disease.
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When asked if Israel was "executing" Palestinian children, each leader in intelligence bounced around the question. Burns stated that there needs to be a ceasefire, even if it's temporary.
Finally, politicians and officials are both concerned about the trouble at the border. Director Wray said the FBI seized enough fentanyl over the last two years to kill 270 million people.
“We talked about fentanyl and violence, and then of course we have concerns that it could be a vulnerability that terrorist organizations could seek to exploit," he said. "I would add that we are not at the moment tracking any specific terrorist plot coming across the border in that regard."
After the almost three hour meeting they entered a closed session, giving lawmakers the chance to ask more classified questions.
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