U.S. intelligence officials indicated on Wednesday that the administration is probing potential foreign influence and backing behind pro-Hamas protests seen on college campuses across the country since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said under questioning by Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) that “there are some assessments that reflect that” there has been foreign state or non-state backing for pro-Hamas protest groups like Students for Justice in Palestine.

Gabbard said she could discuss those findings further in a classified setting.

The comment is consistent with findings released by the Biden administration that actors linked to the Iranian government had posed as activists online to encourage and in some cases fund anti-Israel protests in the United States.

The prior administration offered no clear plan or strategy to follow up on those findings, however, or disrupt those efforts.

FBI Director Kash Patel said he could not speak at length about the situation, pending ongoing investigations, but said that there are probes into the situation.

At other points in the hearing, Patel and Gabbard also made reference to Iran, alongside other adversaries, working with partners in the Western Hemisphere to gain a foothold in the region and to infiltrate the U.S. border.

.@RepTenney: "Do you have anything or ongoing intelligence to suggest there's foreign support from governments, non-government groups and individuals that have helped these pro-Hamas demonstrations?"@TulsiGabbard: "There are some assessments that reflect that."

Watch more… pic.twitter.com/cl78vUNoIq

— Jewish Insider (@J_Insider) March 26, 2025

Pressed by Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN) on the threats from racially and ethnically motivated violent extremists, including anti-government and white nationalist actors, Patel said that he would treat all threats to the homeland equally.

Patel denied reports that he had removed personnel from this division or had discussed disbanding the section entirely. But Patel would not commit that he would not disband the division, promising only that he would notify Congress of any personnel changes when finalized.

The hearing also included a series of extended and heated exchanges over the exposure of information about U.S. plans for attacking the Houthis in a commercial group messaging chat that inadvertently included a journalist.

The intelligence officials and some Republican members, speaking shortly after the full scope of the messages was released, including details of the U.S. weapons systems being used and their targets inside Yemen before the attacks took place, largely downplayed the significance of the revelations.