Whistleblower Complaint Against DNI Gabbard Held 8 Months

A highly classified whistleblower complaint alleging wrongdoing by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard remains locked in a safe and has not been shared with Congress eight months after its filing, prompting an ongoing internal dispute within the intelligence community.

The complaint was submitted last May to the intelligence community's inspector general, according to officials familiar with the matter. It targets Gabbard, who oversees the nation's 18 spy agencies including the CIA and NSA, and also implicates another unspecified federal agency. Officials have indicated that the document raises potential claims of executive privilege that could involve the White House. One official described its contents as so sensitive that public disclosure could cause grave damage to national security.

The whistleblower's attorney, Andrew Bakaj, has accused Gabbard's office of delaying transmission to lawmakers by failing to provide necessary security guidance on how to securely share the material. In a November letter to Gabbard, which was also sent to members of the Senate and House intelligence committees, Bakaj highlighted the unusual holdup. Typically, the inspector general...