On March 10, 2026, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff told CNBC that Russian leaders had denied, in a call with President Trump the day before, that they were sharing intelligence with Iran during the war. “So, you know, we can take them at their word,” Witkoff said. “Let's hope that they're not sharing.” Asked whether Russia was feeding Iran the locations of U.S. military assets, he said, “Well, I'm not an intel officer, so I can't tell you.”
Eight days later, at the Senate Intelligence Committee's annual Worldwide Threats hearing on March 18, Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) asked CIA Director John Ratcliffe about Witkoff's suggestion. Ratcliffe answered, “No, I don't take Vladimir Putin at his word.” He added, “The Iranians are requesting intelligence assistance from Russia, from China, and from other adversaries of the United States, and whether or not those countries are is something we can talk about in the classified portion.” Pressed by Reed, he said, “I know the answer and I'm happy to discuss that with you in the classified portion.”
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard likewise declined to confirm Russian intelligence sharing in open session, saying, “If there is that sharing going on, that would be an answer that would be appropriate for a closed session.” She added that, according to the Pentagon, “any support that Iran may be receiving is not inhibiting their operational effects.” Sen. Angus King replied that this was “sort of a first cousin of a 'yes.'”
Trump himself had already undercut his envoy. On March 13 he told Fox's Brian Kilmeade that Putin “might be helping them a bit, yeah, and he probably thinks we're helping Ukraine, right?” The episode showed the president's chosen negotiator publicly vouching for a Kremlin denial that his own CIA director, testifying to Congress, declined to accept.
Correction (October 14, 2026): This entry previously said the contradiction came from three officials, with DNI Gabbard and FBI Director Patel agreeing at a March 19 House hearing that adversaries' assurances should never be taken at face value. We could not find a source for that exchange, and it has been removed; the confirmed contradiction is Ratcliffe's answer at the March 18 Senate hearing, where Gabbard declined to address the question in open session. The entry also said Ratcliffe's “I know the answer” remark “effectively confirmed” Russian intelligence sharing; he did not say what the answer was, and that characterization has been removed. The title, which put the phrase “take Putin at his word” in Witkoff's mouth, has been changed: Witkoff said “we can take them at their word.”