Whistleblower Alleges Gabbard Blocked NSA Report on Trump-Linked Foreign Call
In a stunning revelation that has sent shockwaves through Washington, a whistleblower has accused Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard of improperly handling a highly sensitive National Security Agency report concerning a foreign intelligence phone call linked to an associate of former President Donald Trump.
NSA Detection and Unusual Handling
According to attorney Andrew Bakaj, who represents the whistleblower, the NSA detected evidence last spring of an unusual phone call between an individual associated with foreign intelligence and a person close to Donald Trump. This highly classified intelligence, which has roiled the capital for the past week, was brought to Gabbard's attention as director of national intelligence.
Rather than allowing standard NSA distribution procedures, Gabbard allegedly took a paper copy of the intelligence directly to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. The following day, she instructed NSA officials not to publish their intelligence report and instead transmit the highly classified details directly to her office.
Whistleblower Complaint and Investigation
On April 17, a whistleblower contacted the inspector general's office alleging that Gabbard had blocked highly classified intelligence from routine dispatch. A formal complaint was filed on May 21, according to Bakaj, who has been briefed on details surrounding the sensitive phone call flagged by the NSA.
For eight months, the intelligence report remained under lock and key, even as the whistleblower pushed for disclosure to congressional intelligence committees. Acting Inspector General Tamara A. Johnson dismissed the complaint after a 14-day review period, writing in a June 6 letter that "the Inspector General could not determine if the allegations appear credible."
Procedural Anomalies and Congressional Concerns
Two attorneys and two former intelligence professionals who reviewed details of the incident have identified what they believe are a series of procedural anomalies that raise serious questions about Gabbard's handling of national intelligence. The whistleblower disclosure was reported to the inspector general as a matter of "urgent concern."
Members of the "gang of eight" – Senate and House leaders privy to classified information – received a heavily redacted version for review on Tuesday night. They have disagreed about the legality of Gabbard's conduct and the credibility of the whistleblower complaint.
Democratic Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the senior Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, stated at a Thursday press conference: "The law is clear: when a whistleblower makes a complaint and wants to get it before Congress the agency has 21 days to relay it. This whistleblower complaint was issued in May. We didn't receive it until February." Warner suggested the months-long delay reflected an effort to "bury the complaint."
Partisan Divisions and Independence Concerns
Republican lawmakers have largely dismissed the complaint's credibility and backed Gabbard's conduct. Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton stated on X that "the DNI took the necessary steps to ensure the material has handled and transmitted appropriately in accordance with law."
However, Democrats have raised significant concerns about the independence of the watchdog office. Lawmakers noted that Gabbard assigned one of her top advisers, Dennis Kirk, to work there on May 9 – just two weeks after the whistleblower first contacted the inspector general's hotline.
Kirk served in the first Trump administration and was a co-author of Project 2025, a policy roadmap for restructuring the federal government. House Oversight Committee Democrat Stephen F. Lynch wrote to acting inspector general Johnson warning that "the appointment of a highly partisan advocate for prioritizing personal loyalty to President Trump above independence and professionalism in the federal government raises troubling questions about the independence of the IC IG."
Executive Privilege and Ongoing Investigations
The contents of the whistleblower complaint remain largely unknown. Bakaj stated that Gabbard's office redacted much of the complaint released to intelligence committee members on Tuesday, citing executive privilege. "I don't know the contents of the complaint, but by exercising executive privilege they are flagging that it involves presidential action," he explained.
On February 3, Bakaj again requested guidance from Gabbard's office about how to share the whistleblower's full report while taking appropriate precautions, noting that "our client's disclosure directly impacts our national security and the American people." He said the DNI's office did not respond by the Friday deadline and plans to contact intelligence committee members to schedule an unclassified briefing on Gabbard's conduct.
Members of the gang of eight have contacted the NSA directly to request the underlying intelligence that the whistleblower says Gabbard blocked, circumventing both the ODNI and inspector general's office. This direct request from lawmakers to intelligence agencies represents an unusual procedural step that highlights the seriousness of the allegations.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not immediately respond to questions about the unusual call detected by the NSA or Gabbard's handling of the intelligence. Details of the exchange between Gabbard and the NSA were shared directly with the Guardian and had not been previously reported, nor had Wiles' receipt of the intelligence report.
