‘That ends now!’: Tulsi Gabbard vows crackdown on intelligence leaks amid rising security concerns

Gabbard also disclosed plans for a comprehensive investigation into chat-based groups on U.S. intelligence community systems.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced Friday that the Trump administration is set to intensify efforts to investigate leaks from within U.S. spy agencies. This move follows recent media reports on national security issues in publications such as The Washington Post.

Gabbard, who oversees 18 U.S. intelligence agencies, warned that "politically motivated leaks" are undermining national security and will face swift action. “Unfortunately, such leaks have become commonplace with no investigation or accountability. That ends now,” Gabbard stated. “We know of and are aggressively pursuing recent leakers from within the Intelligence Community and will hold them accountable.”

Our nations Intelligence Community must be focused on our national security mission. Politically motivated leaks undermine our national security and the trust of the American people, and will not be tolerated.Unfortunately, such leaks have become commonplace with no

DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) March 14, 2025

In posts on X, Gabbard identified recent reports from HuffPost, The Post, NBC, and The Record as examples of unauthorized leaks. One cited case involved The Washington Post's coverage of U.S. intelligence assessments regarding Israel’s potential plans for a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

While Gabbard did not elaborate on the specific steps the Trump administration would take to curb these disclosures, she did not indicate that journalists' communications would be monitored, a practice employed during President Barack Obama’s tenure.

Historically, leaks of classified information are investigated by the Justice Department following referrals from U.S. security agencies. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to provide further details on Gabbard’s planned measures.

Gabbard's remarks underscore a broader Trump administration effort to control unauthorized disclosures and media reporting it views as unfavorable. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem recently revealed that her department had identified "criminal leakers" and planned to refer them to the Justice Department for prosecution, as reported by The Washington Post.

The Trump administration has drawn criticism for targeting news organizations it deems critical. Some media outlets, including The Washington Post, have had their access to Pentagon spaces revoked, while the Associated Press was excluded from certain White House events for refusing to adopt President Trump’s preferred term "Gulf of America" for the Gulf of Mexico.

Gabbard also disclosed plans for a comprehensive investigation into chat-based groups on U.S. intelligence community systems. This move comes after reports revealed that personnel had exchanged explicit messages on Intelink, a classified communication system operated by the National Security Agency.

Gabbard said her office will conduct a thorough review of all classified and unclassified chatrooms across the intelligence community to identify further instances of misconduct and unprofessional behavior. While Gabbard does not have the authority to terminate staff at individual agencies, she has directed agency heads to identify and dismiss those involved in the inappropriate exchanges.