Already a subscriber? Make sure to log into your account before viewing this content. You can access your account by hitting the “login” button on the top right corner. Still unable to see the content after signing in? Make sure your card on file is up-to-date.

A lawyer for the intelligence official who filed the whistleblower complaint has accused Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard of deliberately obstructing the complaint’s transmission to Congress by withholding necessary security guidance for nearly eight months.

Getting into it: The whistleblower complaint, originally filed in May 2025 with the intelligence community’s inspector general, reportedly includes allegations not only against Gabbard but also implicates another federal agency. Despite standard protocols that typically resolve such matters within weeks, Congress was not informed of the complaint until November, prompting outrage among oversight advocates and lawmakers. According to some reports, the complaint is so sensitive that it has been locked in a secure location for months over concerns it could pose grave risks to national security.

The whistleblower is represented by attorney Andrew Bakaj, a former CIA official who is known for representing intelligence officials in other high-profile cases. Bakaj has accused Gabbard of unlawfully withholding the complaint from Congress. In a statement, Bakaj said, “After nearly eight months of taking illegal actions to protect herself, the time has come for Tulsi Gabbard to comply with the law and fully release the disclosure to Congress.”

Bakaj further claimed that Gabbard’s actions have “jeopardized Congress’ ability to exercise its legally mandated oversight of the US Intelligence Community, including agency covert operations.”

This all comes as Gabbard and her office have denied the allegations, calling the complaint “baseless and politically motivated.” Press Secretary Olivia Coleman said that the DNI had, in fact, shared the complaint with the congressional intelligence committees and dismissed the accusations of stonewalling. “There was absolutely NO wrongdoing by DNI Gabbard,” Coleman wrote on X, adding that a previous inspector general had already determined the allegations lacked credibility.