Overview
- An intelligence-community whistleblower alleges Tulsi Gabbard restricted routine sharing of a highly classified NSA intercept about a call between two foreign nationals that referenced a person close to President Trump, and that she took a paper copy to Chief of Staff Susie Wiles before telling the NSA not to publish.
- Gabbard and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence reject the account and say her actions were lawful, noting that acting IG Tamara Johnson and current IC IG Christopher Fox did not deem the complaint apparently credible or urgent.
- Heavily redacted versions of the complaint and related material were hand-delivered to the Gang of Eight last week for read‑and‑return review, with references to executive‑privilege considerations cited in briefings and correspondence.
- Lawmakers are divided, as Sen. Mark Warner criticizes the months-long delay and points to the 21‑day transmission standard, while Sen. Tom Cotton and Republican intelligence leaders defend the handling and the inspectors general’s conclusions.
- Whistleblower attorney Andrew Bakaj is seeking fuller guidance to brief Congress and says he will provide an unclassified update, while committees move to obtain the underlying NSA intelligence directly and procedural steps taken inside the IG’s office draw scrutiny.