A complaint that surfaced months ago about Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence, alleges she was withholding access to classified information for political motives, according to an intelligence agency report. A memo sent to legislators, compiled by the Office of Inspector General and obtained by The Associated Press, discusses these claims.
The allegations made in the complaint, lodged in May, seem unsubstantiated, as stated by the former intelligence agency watchdog who initially investigated the matter. This has sparked a lot of criticism toward Gabbard, suggesting she withheld information from Congress members responsible for overseeing intelligence agencies.
This week, copies of the confidential complaint were distributed to members of the “Gang of Eight,” a group consisting of leaders from both political parties, along with the top Democrats and Republicans from the intelligence committees in the House and Senate.
Gabbard’s office has denied the accusations and attributed the delay in filing the complaint to the sensitive nature of the information and the need for thorough legal review, especially in light of last year’s government shutdown.
Democratic Senator Mark Warner from Virginia remarked that he hadn’t viewed the complaint as of Tuesday, but anticipated seeing it in the following days. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have been urging Gabbard to submit the report as required by law.
“It took six months of negotiations with the Director of National Intelligence for the Gang of Eight to receive this whistleblower complaint,” Warner stated. “This contradicts what Ms. Gabbard testified during her confirmation hearing about protecting whistleblowers and sharing timely information.”
In another complaint, the authors accused Gabbard’s Office of General Counsel of failing to report potential criminal activity to the Department of Justice. However, the IG note, while edited, does not provide further specifics about either claim.
Inspector General Christopher Fox mentioned in a memo to lawmakers that the previous Inspector General, Tamara Johnson, remarked in June that allegations suggesting Gabbard distributed classified information along political lines lacked credibility.
Fox noted that Johnson “could not assess the apparent credibility” surrounding the accusations linked to the General Counsel’s Office.
Federal law permits whistleblowers in intelligence agencies to present complaints to the eight-member panel, even if their reliability is questionable, provided the allegations raise urgent concerns.
Fox indicated in his memo that he would have classified the complaint as a non-emergency, which means it wouldn’t have been referred to lawmakers.
“If a similar matter came before me today, I’d likely determine that the allegations fall short of the statutory definition of ‘immediate concern,'” he wrote.
Andrew Bakaj, the whistleblower’s attorney, stated Monday he couldn’t discuss the case’s specifics but remarked that there wasn’t a valid reason for keeping it from Congress since the previous spring.
Transferring a complaint to lawmakers is quite intricate, as it involves confidential details and must be delivered in person, which is expected to take a few days.
The Office of the Inspector General confirmed that some lawmakers and their staff were granted access to a copy of the complaint on Monday.
Representatives from the inspector general’s office are set to meet with remaining members of Congress who didn’t have access on Wednesday, according to a spokesperson for the agency.
Gabbard is responsible for coordinating activities among 18 intelligence agencies nationwide.
She has also drawn attention for another issue, being present when the FBI executed a search warrant on an election office in Georgia, connected to the fraud case surrounding the 2020 election.
The unusual nature of her role has raised more questions from Democrats on both intelligence committees.
Gabbard claims President Trump invited her to attend the search, defending her involvement in a letter to lawmakers by stating she regularly collaborates with the FBI and is empowered to investigate threats to election security.
Warner stated Tuesday that he wasn’t convinced by Gabbard’s rationale, asserting that her actions blur the lines between intelligence operations and domestic law enforcement. He expressed hope that Gabbard would address questions before the Senate Intelligence Committee soon.
“The Director of National Intelligence doesn’t conduct criminal inquiries,” he said. “She has no role in executing search warrants nor is she involved in domestic FBI investigations.”
