Tulsi Gabbard Yanked a Top Undercover CIA Agent’s Clearance — Without Telling CIA: Report

(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images)

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard revoked the security clearance of an undercover senior CIA officer without telling the CIA — a new report reveals.

According to the Wall Street Journal, CIA officials were “blindsided” when Gabbard included the name of the undercover officer on a list of 37 current and former officials she stripped of security clearances last week. Most of those on the list were involved with intelligence assessments on Russia’s involvement in the 2016 election, or they signed a 2019 letter calling for President Donald Trump’s impeachment.

Revoking a security clearance is tantamount to ending the employment of an intelligence officer. Without a clearance, an agent can’t handle secret documents — an essential part of the job.

The Journal cites three sources stating that Gabbard’s office did not “meaningfully consult” with the CIA ahead of time. They got the list the night before Gabbard released it publicly in a post on X.

Larry Pfeiffer, a former chief of staff at the CIA, ripped Gabbard in comments to the Journal.

“A smart [DNI] would have consulted with CIA,” Pfeiffer said. “It could potentially put CIA cover procedures at risk. It could put relations with foreign governments at risk.”

A Gabbard spokesperson told the Journal, “Director of National Intelligence Gabbard directed the revocations 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.”

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