A whistleblower complaint filed against Tulsi Gabbard, US Director of National Intelligence, has ignited significant controversy surrounding the handling of classified intelligence related to Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and close adviser.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the complaint stems from an intercepted conversation between two foreign nationals discussing Kushner, which was collected by a foreign intelligence service and passed to the US National Security Agency (NSA). The intelligence mentions Kushner’s influence in US foreign policy, particularly regarding Iran.
The conversation, which took place last year, included speculation about Kushner's role in Middle East peace talks and issues concerning Iran, but the claims were largely unsubstantiated, with US officials from the Trump administration dismissing them as false.
Despite this, the whistleblower has raised concerns that Gabbard’s office intentionally restricted access to the intelligence report, delaying its distribution for months. The WSJ reported that the complaint accuses Gabbard of limiting who could view the report after she met with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. Some officials involved in the matter suggested that had the report been shared more broadly, it might have been quickly dismissed as unimportant. However, the whistleblower believes the intelligence should have been made available to relevant agencies, and Gabbard’s actions were politically motivated.
While Gabbard's office has denied these claims, asserting that the intelligence was handled properly to protect national security, the delayed release of the report has raised questions in Congress. A heavily redacted version of the complaint was finally presented to select lawmakers, and some Democrats have called for further investigation into why the complaint was stalled for so long. The WSJ noted that Gabbard’s office has defended her actions, stating that she was simply following legal and procedural guidelines.
Meanwhile, the New York Times expanded on the details surrounding the content of the intercepted conversation. According to the newspaper, the conversation, which was passed to the US by a foreign intelligence service, primarily focused on Iran but also included mentions of Kushner, although his name was initially redacted in the intelligence report. The foreign nationals reportedly discussed Kushner’s influence on US foreign policy, at a time when his involvement in Middle East peace talks was becoming more prominent. However, the discussion also included unverified gossip, some of which was demonstrably false, according to US officials familiar with the intelligence.
The NYT further reported that the conversation's inclusion of Kushner’s name raised questions because American officials, particularly those closely tied to the Trump administration, are typically masked in intelligence intercepts. While Gabbard’s office restricted access to the report, some officials believe she was acting out of caution, as revealing the intelligence could have compromised sensitive sources and methods.
The NYT also noted that while the claims in the Kushner-related conversation were speculative and not corroborated by other intelligence, the decision to limit the distribution of the report has been controversial. Some critics argue that Gabbard’s actions were intended to protect an ally of President Trump from scrutiny, while others suggest that her handling of the report was a practical move to avoid unnecessary political fallout.
The complaint and the surrounding investigation remain classified, but some lawmakers, including Senator Mark Warner, have called for full access to the underlying intelligence materials, which have yet to be shared in their entirety.