Gabbard Faces Whistleblower Fire Over Alleged Blocking of NSA Report on Trump-Linked Call
WASHINGTON — A classified whistleblower complaint has ignited a political firestorm in Washington by alleging that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard restricted the routine dissemination of sensitive NSA-flagged intelligence that touched on a phone call involving a foreign intelligence actor and someone close to Donald Trump, according to people familiar with the matter.
The controversy pits national security procedure against partisan mistrust, with lawmakers demanding answers and Gabbard’s office insisting her actions were lawful.
An NSA intercept last spring allegedly captured a conversation between two foreign nationals discussing a person close to Trump. Rather than letting the NSA circulate that intelligence through normal channels, the whistleblower says Gabbard personally took a paper copy to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and then directed that further handling be routed through her office.
The formal complaint was filed with the intelligence community inspector general in May 2025, but lawmakers have only recently been briefed on the matter. Democrats like Sen. Mark Warner argue that under federal law, if a whistleblower complaint is deemed “urgent and credible,” the agency must relay it to congressional intelligence committees within 21 days—something they say did not happen.
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Gabbard and her spokespeople have strongly denied any wrongdoing, with Gabbard writing publicly that she was not in possession of the complaint and did not hide it, and that actions taken were within her statutory authority.
“What has been described publicly is false,” a Gabbard spokesperson said in a statement.
The legal and political stakes are high because the dispute centers on whether intelligence was shielded for political reasons, as well as whether statutory protections for whistleblowers and congressional oversight were properly followed.
Congressional intelligence committees are now reviewing a heavily redacted version of the complaint, while the identity of the Trump-associated individual and full contents of the intercept remain classified.
Next up, lawmakers on both sides are expected to press for more briefings and potentially legislative action on intelligence referral procedures.
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