Overview
- Speaking at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest in Phoenix, Gabbard called Islamist ideology the greatest near- and long-term threat to U.S. freedom and security.
- She described it as a political doctrine seeking a global caliphate under Sharia law and said elements are already present in the United States.
- Gabbard cited Dearborn, Minneapolis, Houston and Paterson, New Jersey, as places she claims show footholds for the ideology.
- She also alleged that 'deep state' actors and U.S. allies in the EU and NATO want to pull the United States into a war with Russia.
- ODNI did not immediately clarify whether her remarks reflect formal intelligence judgments, as clips of the address were widely shared and drew both support and criticism.