Tulsi Gabbard Issues Formal Response to Whistleblower Complaint Claims [View all]

Source: Newsweek

Published Feb 02, 2026 at 11:50 PM EST


Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard has publicly responded to allegations regarding her handling of a whistleblower complaint, calling the accusations "blatantly false and slanderous" in a four-page letter to congressional intelligence committees.The letter, posted on X, directly addresses her presence during an FBI search warrant execution at the Office of the Clerk of the Court of Fulton County, Georgia, on January 28, and defends her statutory authority to coordinate intelligence activities related to election security.

The complaint, filed in May, has been deemed so highly classified that it has remained locked in a safe, with officials warning its disclosure could cause "grave damage to national security," The Wall Street Journal first reported Monday. Newsweek reached out to the DNI office via email on Monday for additional comment.

Why It Matters

The controversy centers on Gabbard's dual role as coordinator of the nation's 18 intelligence agencies and her obligations to protect whistleblowers while keeping Congress informed. Her presence at the Georgia election office search—a location central to President Donald Trump's disputed 2020 election fraud claims—has raised questions from Democrats about potential politicization of intelligence operations.

The eight-month delay in forwarding the complaint to Congress has raised transparency concerns, particularly when serious complaints involving senior administration officials are typically reported within weeks.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/tulsi-gabbard-issues-formal-response-to-whistleblower-complaint-claims-11456278

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