1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to immediately investigate Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard for allegedly violating federal whistleblower protection laws by blocking a legally mandated disclosure to Congress for nearly eight months. This appears to be a deliberate cover-up that undermines congressional oversight of our intelligence community. In May 2025, a whistleblower represented by WhistleblowerAid.org alerted the Intelligence Community Inspector General about concerns regarding Director Gabbard herself. In June 2025, consistent with the Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protection Act, the whistleblower requested transmission of their disclosure to Congress. Since then, Director Gabbard has allegedly stonewalled this legally required process because she is the subject of the complaint. According to the Wall Street Journal, the complaint remains locked in a safe while officials claim its release could cause grave damage to national security. Andrew P. Bakaj, Chief Legal Counsel at WhistleblowerAid.org, stated that the Inspector General's independence and neutrality is compromised when the Director of National Intelligence illegally inserts herself into the process. This represents a grave dereliction that jeopardizes Congress's ability to exercise its legally mandated oversight of intelligence community operations, including covert activities. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence has attempted to justify this obstruction by invoking executive privilege, but no legal authority permits a government official to suppress a whistleblower complaint about their own conduct. I am deeply concerned that the whistleblower may have faced retaliation, which would constitute an additional violation of federal law. This situation demands immediate congressional action. Congress must investigate Director Gabbard's actions, compel release of the full disclosure, ensure the whistleblower is protected from retaliation, and hold accountable anyone who has violated whistleblower protection statutes. Our intelligence oversight system cannot function when officials can simply suppress complaints about themselves.