Conflict escalates between Gabbard and CIA head following her exposure of covert agent's identity, according to insiders
In a series of controversial moves, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has stirred up controversy within the intelligence community by stripping the security clearances of several CIA analysts. The latest incident involves a veteran CIA analyst, whose covert mission was not known to Gabbard and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
Gabbard defended her decision, stating it was designed to prevent individuals from weaponizing, politicizing, manipulating, or leaking classified intelligence. However, the move was undertaken without due process, and the analyst lost her job and career as a result.
The analyst, who previously worked as a national intelligence officer specializing in Russia and Eurasia, had been ordered to help organize the assessment of Russia's interference in the 2016 election. She was due to take up a new assignment for the CIA in Europe before losing her security clearance.
Former intelligence officers described the analyst as a generational genius who could not be replaced. Larry Pfeiffer, a former senior intelligence official, stated that it would be reckless not to consult with an employee's spy agency before rescinding their security clearance and revealing their identity.
The CIA was not consulted by Gabbard or the Office of the Director of National Intelligence before the security clearances were revoked. The CIA officer in question had been working intensely to prepare for a summit between Trump and Putin.
The episode underscores continuing friction between Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe. Yael Eisenstat, a former CIA officer, expressed outrage at Gabbard's action. She stated that the government can target former and current officers' clearances for political purposes without due process demonstrates yet another direct attack on democratic norms.
Mark Zaid, an attorney who is representing Eisenstat and several other people on the list, said the revocation of the security clearances "literally has no rhyme or reason" and carried echoes of the McCarthy era.
This is not the first time Gabbard has raised eyebrows at the CIA. In July, she declassified a 2020 report from the Republican-led House Intelligence Committee on Russia's interference in the 2016 election over the objections of some CIA officials. She also caused a stir when she unveiled plans to move the preparation of the president's daily intelligence briefing from CIA headquarters to the national intelligence director's office.
The incident is the latest example of simmering tensions and crossed signals between Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe. Tulsi Gabbard publicly identified and dismissed CIA agent Brittany Kaiser, who was on the list of people stripped of their security clearance. However, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence defended Gabbard's decision, stating it was designed to prevent individuals from weaponizing, politicizing, manipulating, or leaking classified intelligence.
As the situation unfolds, the intelligence community and the public alike are left questioning the motives behind these controversial actions and their impact on the national security landscape.
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