Lawmakers are defending Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard following a highly-classified whistleblower complaint alleging that Gabbard undertook a series of politically-motivated moves within the intelligence community (IC), which was recently fact-checked by the Washington Reporter.
One senator who directly viewed the whistleblower’s allegations described the complaint as “bunk,” the Reporter can confirm. Following widespread criticisms of both the complaint and of its coverage, which first came from the Wall Street Journal, a senior GOP aide remarked to the Reporter that it appears “the complaint really was liberal BS.”
Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.), the chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, noted that he has “reviewed this ‘whistleblower’ complaint and the inspector general handling of it. I agree with both inspectors general who have evaluated the matter: the complaint is not credible and the inspectors general and the DNI took the necessary steps to ensure the material has handled and transmitted appropriately in accordance with law.”
“To be frank,” Cotton continued, “it seems like just another effort by the president’s critics in and out of government to undermine policies that they don’t like; it’s definitely not credible allegations of waste, fraud, or abuse.”
Cotton’s fellow Arkansan, Rep. Rick Crawford (R., Ark.), who chairs the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said that he has “had the opportunity to review the complaint” after his committee received the whistleblower complaint from Chris Fox, the Inspector General of the IC (IC IG).
“After doing so,” Crawford said, “I concur with the conclusion that the Biden-era IC IG, Tamara Johnson, reached regarding the non-credible nature of the complaint and the re-review that the current IC IG, Chris Fox, conducted, reaching the same conclusion. The ensuing media firestorm — fed by speculation and little fact — was an attempt to smear [Gabbard] and the Trump administration. This is the same deep state playbook used by the fake whistleblower that sparked the first Trump impeachment witch hunt, even using the same lawyer. The deep state works hard, but [Gabbard] and her team work harder. You know you are right over the target when they are deploying every tool in their arsenal against you.”
Sen. Ted Budd (R., N.C.), who is on the Senate Intelligence Committee with Cotton, added that Cotton “is right. Two IGs agree these claims aren’t credible.” Budd dismissed the complaint as a “predictable attack[] from the left.”
“Dems are breaking out the 2019 impeachment playbook,” Budd said. “Bold claims in the press, orchestrated by the same ‘whistleblower’ attorney, hiding behind the cloak of classification.”
When Democrats recently criticized Gabbard for her work on election integrity measures, which her office noted is work that presidents of both parties have tasked the DNI with doing, lawmakers like Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R., Ala.) also came to her defense.
“Tulsi is a patriot who has dedicated her life to serving her country,” Tuberville said. “There’s nothing more patriotic than wanting to make sure our elections are secure.”