Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is under growing scrutiny after reports surfaced that her office disclosed the identity of a covert CIA officer while revoking the security clearances of dozens of current and former intelligence officials. The episode has rattled Washington’s national security establishment and raised concerns about political interference in the work of the intelligence community.
According to reporting from NBC, Gabbard’s office revoked the clearances of 37 individuals without properly coordinating with the CIA. At least one of those individuals was still engaged in covert operations overseas. By revealing the officer’s identity, critics say, the DNI’s office compromised ongoing intelligence activities and may have put both U.S. personnel and foreign sources at risk.
Since taking office, Trump has emphasized loyalty within national security ranks and signaled a desire to sideline officials seen as resistant to his agenda. Gabbard, appointed DNI earlier this year, has defended the decision to revoke the clearances as necessary to root out what allies describe as entrenched “politicization” in intelligence agencies.
Still, the backlash has been swift. Former officials have warned that the incident goes beyond internal politics and cuts to the heart of America’s ability to gather intelligence abroad. Intelligence work depends not only on trained officers but on networks of sources who take enormous risks to provide information. If those networks believe the U.S. government cannot protect its operatives, the fear is they will withhold cooperation — or worse, face exposure themselves.
The DNI is tasked with coordinating across 18 agencies, from the CIA to the NSA, while also ensuring that operations remain effective and secure. Critics argue that failing to communicate with the CIA before acting on clearances shows a breakdown in that responsibility.
There are also questions about the political context. Many of those whose clearances were revoked have been described as longtime career officials who served in both Republican and Democratic administrations.
For now, the CIA has not publicly commented on the details of the dispute, though officials privately expressed frustration that an operation may have been disrupted. Congressional leaders are expected to press for answers in the coming weeks, with Democrats signaling potential hearings on the matter.
Whether the disclosure was the result of mismanagement or deliberate action, the stakes are unusually high. Intelligence officers often operate in hostile environments where secrecy is a matter of life and death. For the community that depends on that secrecy, the idea that it could be compromised from within the U.S. government itself is alarming.
