Tulsi Gabbard Denies Hiding Whistleblower Complaint, Calls Allegations a “Blatant Lie”

Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence, forcefully denied accusations that she or the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) concealed a whistleblower complaint, calling the claims a “blatant lie.” The dispute centers on when the complaint was filed, who had custody of it, and whether officials delayed sharing it with Congress.

Key Claims and Responses

In a post on X, Gabbard wrote:

"Senator Mark Warner and his friends in the Propaganda Media have repeatedly lied to the American people that I or the ODNI ‘hid’ a whistleblower complaint in a safe for eight months. This is a blatant lie."

According to the whistleblower’s attorney, Andrew Bakaj, the complaint was filed with the Intelligence Community Inspector General (ICIG) in May 2025, and the whistleblower asked in June that the complaint be shared with lawmakers. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, told NBC News that Congress did not receive the complaint until February and that much of the material was redacted, calling the delay “an effort to try to bury this whistleblower complaint.”

Gabbard countered that she never had possession or control of the document and that the ICIG "was in possession of and responsible for securing the complaint for months." She said the first time she personally reviewed the complaint was two weeks before her public statement, when she needed to provide security guidance for sharing it with Congress. Gabbard described the submission as containing what she called "baseless allegations" but emphasized that the complaint included "highly classified and compartmented intelligence" and therefore required secure handling.

Inspector General Findings and Timeline

Gabbard posted a timeline saying she first became aware of the complaint in June 2025 and that neither then-acting ICIG Tamara Johnson nor current ICIG Christopher Fox (who began on Oct. 7, 2025) found the complaint to be credible. ODNI press secretary Olivia Coleman told NBC News that both inspectors general "did not find the complaint credible." Gabbard says she learned on Dec. 4 that she needed to provide security guidance and acted immediately to do so; she says the ICIG then shared the complaint with relevant members of Congress.

Pushback From The Whistleblower’s Representatives And Critics

Whistleblower Aid, the nonprofit representing the whistleblower, disputed Gabbard’s account and posted a June 6, 2025, ICIG letter that it says shows Gabbard’s office was provided the full complaint after a determination in June. The group asked why Gabbard’s office appeared unaware of the whistleblower’s request to share the complaint with Congress between June 5 and Dec. 4, and said the ICIG “was simply unable to make a determination in the 14-day window,” contradicting Gabbard’s claim that Acting ICIG Johnson had found the complaint not credible.

Bakaj accused Gabbard of attempting to conceal the complaint from Congress and demanded she "comply with the law and fully release the disclosure to Congress." ODNI spokesman Coleman characterized the whistleblower as a "politically motivated individual."

Political Reactions

• Sen. Mark Warner said the delay raised questions about Gabbard's competence or legal advice.
• Rachel Cohen, Warner’s communications director, called Gabbard’s post an "inaccurate attack" and questioned her qualifications to serve as DNI.
• Rep. Rick Crawford and Sen. Tom Cotton, both intelligence committee leaders from the GOP, said they consider the complaint not credible after being briefed.

The episode has produced divided statements from intelligence oversight figures, the whistleblower’s representatives, and the ODNI. Key questions remain about the exact chain of custody for the complaint, when various officials were notified, and whether procedures for sharing classified whistleblower disclosures with Congress were followed.

Note: This article synthesizes public statements by the parties involved and reporting from NBC News. Disputes over the timeline and the complaint’s credibility remain unresolved and are being contested by both sides.