Tulsi Gabbard Accused Of Trying To 'bury' Whistleblower Complaint

A U.S. intelligence charismatic has alleged wrongdoing by Director of nationalist intelligence Tulsi Gabbard successful a whistleblower title revenge past year, according to nan official’s lawyer and Gabbard’s office.

The lawyer for nan intelligence official, Andrew Bakaj, said Monday that nan title was revenge successful May pinch nan intelligence community’s inspector wide but has not been afloat shared pinch Congress. He accused Gabbard of trying to hide nan title from Congress.

“After astir 8 months of taking forbidden actions to protect herself, nan clip has travel for Tulsi Gabbard to comply pinch nan rule and afloat merchandise nan disclosure to Congress,” Bakaj said successful a connection released by Whistle Blower Aid, a nonprofit group that represents authorities and backstage assemblage labor seeking to expose wrongdoing.

“The Inspector General’s independency and neutrality is non-existent erstwhile nan head of nationalist intelligence illegally inserts herself into nan process,” he said.

The Wall Street Journal first reported connected nan whistleblower complaint. The Journal reported that Gabbard’s agency had not shared nan whistleblower title because it was trying to activity retired information guidance to safeguard nan accusation successful it.

The constituent of nan title has not been divulged by management officials aliases nan whistleblower’s lawyer.

The Office of nan Director for National Intelligence did not respond to NBC News' petition for comment.

In a societal media post, Gabbard’s property secretary, Oliva Coleman, acknowledged a whistleblower title had been revenge but rejected nan accusation that Gabbard had tried to stonewall Congress.

Coleman said Gabbard had shared nan complaint, which she called "baseless," pinch intelligence committees successful Congress.

“There was perfectly NO wrongdoing by DNI Gabbard,” she wrote connected X. Coleman besides said a erstwhile inspector wide concluded that nan whistleblower’s allegations did not look credible.

Coleman alleged that nan whistleblower was “a politically motivated individual.”

“Director Gabbard has ever and will proceed to support Whistleblower’s and their right, nether nan law, to taxable complaints to Congress, moreover if they are wholly baseless for illustration this one,” she wrote.

When asked astir nan case, nan White House referred to nan societal media station by Gabbard’s property secretary.

Lawmakers connected legislature intelligence committees did not study of nan whistleblower’s title until November, aft nan intelligence official’s lawyer wrote Gabbard asking why nan title had not been passed connected to Congress arsenic required, according to a root pinch knowledge of nan matter.

In his statement, nan whistleblower’s lawyer, Bakaj, accused Gabbard of jeopardizing nan expertise of Congress “to workout its legally mandated oversight of nan US Intelligence Community, including agency covert operations.”

The vice chair of nan Senate Intelligence Committee, Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, expected Gabbard to abide by her ineligible obligations to protect nan authorities of authorities whistleblowers, his spokesperson said.

“During her confirmation proceeding earlier nan Senate Intelligence Committee, Director Gabbard pledged nether oath to comply pinch nan rule by protecting whistleblowers, safeguarding their anonymity, and ensuring timely, nonstop entree to Congress,” nan spokesperson said. “We expect her to grant those commitments and comply pinch some nan missive and nan tone of nan law.”