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Intelligence Community Watchdog Releases Details of Complaint Against Gabbard
A months-old whistleblower complaint against Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard alleges she withheld classified information for political reasons, according to a memo obtained by The Associated Press. The document is being shared this week with top congressional leaders after significant delays that have fueled criticism of Gabbard’s leadership.
The complaint, filed in May, was initially reviewed by then-intelligence community inspector general Tamara Johnson, who determined the allegation “did not appear to be credible,” according to current watchdog Christopher Fox’s memo to lawmakers. Despite this assessment, the complaint has become a contentious issue, with Gabbard’s critics accusing her of obstructing congressional oversight of intelligence services.
Copies of the top-secret complaint are now being hand-delivered to the “Gang of Eight” – a bipartisan group consisting of House and Senate leaders and the ranking members of both intelligence committees. The complaint contains highly classified information, requiring secure, in-person delivery to authorized lawmakers.
Gabbard’s office has vehemently denied the allegations, attributing the delay in sharing the complaint with Congress to an extensive legal review necessitated by its classified content and complications from last year’s government shutdown.
Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, expressed frustration about the prolonged process to obtain the complaint. “It took the Gang of Eight six months of negotiation with the director of national intelligence to share that whistleblower complaint,” Warner told reporters Tuesday. “This is in direct contradiction to what Gabbard testified during her confirmation hearings – that she would protect whistleblowers and share the information in a timely matter.”
The complaint also includes a second allegation, claiming Gabbard’s office of general counsel failed to report a potential crime to the Department of Justice. Former inspector general Johnson was “unable to assess the apparent credibility” of this second accusation, according to Fox’s memo.
Under federal law, whistleblowers in the intelligence community can refer complaints to the Gang of Eight even if they’ve been deemed non-credible, provided they raise urgent concerns. Fox, however, indicated in his memo that he would have likely determined the allegations “do not meet the statutory definition of ‘urgent concern,'” which would have prevented the referral to lawmakers.
Andrew Bakaj, attorney for the complainant, argued Monday that there was no justification for withholding the report from Congress since last spring, though he declined to discuss specific details of the complaint.
The inspector general’s office confirmed that some lawmakers and staff began reviewing copies of the complaint on Monday, with plans to meet the remaining lawmakers on Wednesday.
This controversy emerges as Gabbard faces separate scrutiny for her unusual presence at an FBI search of election offices in Georgia last week. These offices are connected to former President Trump’s disproven claims about fraud in the 2020 election. Gabbard’s involvement in the search has raised additional concerns among congressional Democrats about her role as the nation’s top intelligence official.
Gabbard acknowledged that Trump requested her presence during the search. In a letter to lawmakers, she defended her actions by stating she routinely works with the FBI and is authorized to investigate threats to election security.
Senator Warner rejected this explanation, expressing concern that Gabbard’s actions are eroding traditional boundaries between intelligence operations and domestic law enforcement. “The director of national intelligence does not conduct criminal investigations,” Warner said. “She has no role in executing search warrants. And she does not belong on the scene of a domestic FBI search.”
The twin controversies highlight growing tensions between the intelligence community leadership and congressional oversight committees, potentially complicating Gabbard’s ability to effectively coordinate the nation’s 18 intelligence agencies during a period of heightened global security challenges.
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6 Comments
This seems like another politically-charged accusation against Gabbard. I’d want to see more concrete evidence before jumping to any conclusions. Withholding classified info for political reasons is a serious allegation.
Agreed, the details here are still quite vague. The intelligence community should handle this in a transparent and non-partisan manner.
Interesting that the initial complaint was deemed not credible, yet it’s still being pushed forward. Overclassification of information can be a real issue, so I hope this is handled objectively.
Yes, it’s concerning if legitimate whistleblower concerns are being suppressed for political reasons. The public deserves to know the facts.
Gabbard has certainly been a polarizing figure in US politics. I’m curious to hear her side of the story on this. Oversight of the intelligence community is important, but it needs to be done responsibly.
Absolutely. These types of disputes can easily get caught up in partisan bickering. Hopefully cooler heads will prevail and the facts will come to light.