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The Director of National Intelligence has instructed officials within ODNI to begin terminating employees who were involved in a series of sexually explicit discussions on the NSA’s Intelink platform, which was intended for classified and professional communication.
Some shit you should know before you read: Over the weekend, Christopher Rufo, a right-leaning activist and senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, uncovered a series of sexually explicit discussions involving intelligence officers on the NSA’s Intelink platform. The platform, designed for classified communications and professional collaboration within the intelligence community, was misused by over 100 employees who engaged in inappropriate conversations, including explicit discussions about gender transition surgery, politics, and religion. The messages, which were described as brazen and highly unprofessional, revealed a severe violation of the platform’s intended purpose and sparked immediate backlash and internal investigations. Attached are some of the conversations.
What’s going on now: Following the revelation of the messages, ODNI Director Tulsi Gabbard instructed all intelligence agencies to identify and terminate the employees involved in the explicit discussions on the NSA’s Intelink platform. She framed the behavior as an egregious violation of trust and professionalism, stressing that such conduct undermines the integrity of the intelligence community. Gabbard also issued a directive to revoke the security clearances of those involved, arguing that this action was part of a broader effort to restore accountability and depoliticize intelligence agencies.
In response, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) sent a memo to all intelligence agencies, mandating the identification of employees who participated in the explicit chat rooms and setting a deadline of February 28 for reporting the information. ODNI spokesperson Alexa Henning confirmed the directive on social platform X, saying, “The DNI sent a memo directing all intelligence agencies to identify the employees who participated in the NSA’s “obscene, pornographic, and sexually explicit” chatrooms and to terminate their employment and revoke their security clearances. “
Gabbard’s response has received mixed reactions, with some praising her efforts to maintain workplace integrity while others viewed the move as politically charged. She defended her actions during an appearance on Fox News, stating that holding these individuals accountable was crucial for rebuilding trust within the intelligence community.
The NSA has also acknowledged the controversy. In a statement, they said, “NSA is aware of posts that appear to show inappropriate discussions by IC personnel. IC collaboration platforms are intended to drive mission outcomes. Potential misuse of these platforms by a small group of individuals does not represent the community. Investigations to address this misuse of government systems are ongoing.”
