Mutiny brewing after Gabbard outs CIA operative

[Knewz Staff]

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard drew criticism when she revealed the name of an undercover CIA officer. By: Mattie Neretin – CNP / MEGA

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has sparked fresh tensions with Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe after she disclosed the name of an undercover CIA officer on a list of people whose security clearances she revoked. Knewz.com can report that Gabbard’s move triggered alarm within the agency’s workforce and ramped up her rumored rift with Ratcliffe, who’s still said to be smarting from her earlier decision to ignore CIA objections to declassifying a document related to Russian election interference.

Regaining Trump’s trust​

Insiders believe DNI Tulsi Gabbard’s move was influenced by her desire to win back the trust of President Donald Trump. By: MEGA

According to insiders, Gabbard has been under pressure to regain President Donald Trump’s confidence after falling out of favor with the president earlier this year for posting a video and delivering testimony about Iran’s nuclear capabilities. When Gabbard announced the security clearance removals, she said some of the 37 current and former officials were engaged in “politicization or weaponization of intelligence” and that she was acting on the president’s orders.

‘Gabbard’s becoming a big star’​

President Donald Trump recently lauded DNI Tulsi Gabbard, signaling their relationship was on the mend. By: MEGA

Trump recently praised Gabbard in front of television cameras during a cabinet meeting. “You found some interesting things, Tulsi,” he said, adding, “She’s becoming a bigger and bigger star every day.” One insider — a former government official — claimed Gabbard is trying to show the president she’s exposing Democrats and political enemies including some purportedly inside the CIA.

Ratcliffe and Gabbard’s divide​

Fresh tensions highlight the growing divide between CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. By: MEGA

The security clearance removals reflected “a battle between Gabbard and Ratcliffe,” according to the insider. The director of national intelligence position was created after the 9/11 attacks in an effort to ensure close coordination among the country’s spy agencies. There have been turf wars and personality clashes in the past between some DNIs and CIA directors. During former President Barack Obama’s White House tenure, DNI Dennis Blair was often at loggerheads with CIA chief Leon Panetta and ultimately resigned after 16 months on the job. But in this case, the current director of national intelligence appeared to be seeking the president’s support, former officials claimed, by doubling down on accusations against former Democratic administrations and punishing members of a perceived “deep state” of anti-Trump government bureaucrats. Apart from highlighting the divide between Gabbard and Ratcliffe, the episode also illustrates the effect of a widening and unpredictable purge of career government officials deemed insufficiently loyal.

The analyst Gabbard outed​

Tulsi Gabbard’s decision was defended by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. By: MEGA

The CIA officer who lost her security clearance and who was publicly identified by Gabbard was a veteran analyst. Days before her identity was revealed, she had worked intensely to help prepare the White House team for a summit in Alaska between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, former intelligence agency colleagues claimed. She was allegedly due to take up a new assignment for the CIA in Europe, according to three sources with knowledge of the matter. After the summit, the CIA informed the analyst that she had lost her security clearance, effectively ending her career. “She did most of the prep for the Putin summit and to this day has no idea why her clearance was removed,” said a former colleague, who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing fear of retaliation from the Trump administration. Gabbard and her office failed to properly coordinate the move with the CIA before revoking the security clearances of the 37 current and former officials, said a U.S. official and a source with knowledge of the matter. It appeared that Gabbard and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence were unaware of the CIA employee’s covert mission, the official added. “ODNI didn’t meaningfully consult with the agency,” the official said. ODNI spokesperson Olivia Coleman defended Gabbard’s decision, saying in an email it was designed to ensure “individuals who have violated the trust placed in them by weaponizing, politicizing, manipulating or leaking classified intelligence are no longer allowed to do so.”


The post Mutiny brewing after Gabbard outs CIA operative appeared first on Knewz.

Continue reading...

 

Join 𝕋𝕄𝕋 on Telegram
Channel PREVIEW: