A classified whistleblower complaint that reporting says names Tulsi Gabbard has been held inside the intelligence community for eight months, and lawmakers have been unable to review it. Filed last May with the Intelligence Community Inspector General, the complaint is reportedly so sensitive that even the whistleblower’s attorney has been barred from seeing it. Officials warn disclosure could cause "grave damage to national security," and possible interagency involvement and claims of executive privilege have complicated its release. Lawmakers say they were first told of the complaint in November but still have not received it.
Classified Whistleblower Complaint Naming Tulsi Gabbard Held for Eight Months, Sources Say
Tulsi Gabbard
A classified whistleblower complaint that reporting says names Tulsi Gabbard in connection with alleged wrongdoing has remained unresolved inside the intelligence community for eight months, leaving lawmakers aware of the complaint but unable to review its contents amid accusations of delay.
What Happened
According to reporting by The Wall Street Journal, the complaint was filed last May with the Intelligence Community Inspector General and is considered so sensitive that even the whistleblower’s own attorney has not been permitted to view it. Officials familiar with the matter told the newspaper that the materials are locked in a safe and that disclosure could cause what they described as "grave damage to national security."
Sources say the allegations reportedly involve not only the office associated with the person named in the complaint but also another federal agency. The possibility that the White House could assert executive privilege has been cited as an additional complication to releasing the documents to Congress.
Statutory Deadline Missed, Lawmakers Still Waiting
Under statute, an inspector general must determine whether an individual classified complaint is credible within two weeks of receipt and, if it is, transmit the complaint to Congress. Lawmakers on the House and Senate intelligence committees say they were first notified of the complaint’s existence in November, but — months later — they still have not received the documentation.
"From my experience, it is confounding for [the office] to take weeks — let alone eight months — to transmit a disclosure to Congress," said Andrew Bakaj, the whistleblower’s attorney, speaking to The Wall Street Journal.
Responses
A spokesperson for the office identified in reporting as the subject of the complaint disputed the account. The spokesperson confirmed the complaint concerns the relevant director-level office but called the allegations "baseless and politically motivated," and said staff have provided guidance to "support the eventual transmission of appropriate details to Congress."
Former officials and watchdog experts told The Wall Street Journal they are unaware of any precedent for a delay of this length in processing and transmitting a classified inspector-general complaint.
Unknown Details, Ongoing Interest
The specific allegations in the complaint have not been publicly disclosed. The person named in reporting recently drew attention after appearing at an FBI search of a Georgia election office last week, but the connection between that appearance and the classified complaint — if any — has not been established in available reporting.
As oversight committees press for access, the case raises questions about how national-security protections, interagency involvement and possible assertions of executive privilege intersect with statutory obligations for inspector-general complaints.
Help us improve.
