On Aug. 19, Gabbard posted a memo on X that included
a list of 37 current and former officials who had been stripped of their security clearances, including those who had supported
Trump’s first impeachment trial or concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.
Also included on the list was a senior CIA officer who had been working undercover, though Gabbard was unaware of this at the time,
The Wall Street Journal reported. However, sources told the newspaper that Gabbard did not consult with the intelligence agency before posting the list of names to her 762,000 online followers.
The CIA also had no advance warning that Gabbard planned to publish the list, which her office had sent it to the agency the night before.
Larry Pfeiffer, a former chief of staff at the CIA, told the
WSJ that a “smart” director of national intelligence would have consulted with the agency before making any such list public, in order to avoid exposing a covert officer.
“It could potentially put CIA cover procedures at risk. It could put relations with foreign governments at risk,” Pfeiffer said.
Brian Fiarchil, a retired career CIA operations officer,
added on X: “Gabbard doesn’t know squat about intelligence. She’s simply a Trump lapdog who will do anything to stay in his good graces, and Trump hates the intelligence agencies.”
In her Aug. 19 post, Gabbard said she was acting under Trump’s direction to revoke the security clearances of the 37 individuals, many of whom have been longtime critics of the president.
“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,” a spokesperson for Gabbard’s office told the
WSJ.
The undercover CIA officer had worked in intelligence posts for more than 20 years and served as an expert on Russia and Eurasia on the National Intelligence Council between 2014 and 2017, according to the
WSJ.
On Thursday,
The Washington Post reported that the CIA had fired its top Russian expert days after Trump’s summit with Russian
President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. The officer, who had nearly 30 years of experience, was also included on Gabbard’s list of people whose security clearances were revoked.
Knowingly revealing the identity of a covert U.S. intelligence officer or agent is a felony, though it is unclear whether the law applies to disclosures made by government officials.
Mark Zaid, an attorney who represents intelligence officers and whose own security clearance was revoked by Trump, suggested that Gabbard may have broken the law simply by making the memo public.
“Can you say ‘Privacy Act violation’? I certainly can,” Zaid
posted on X. “Further proof of weaponization and politicization. The vast majority of these individuals are not household names & are dedicated public servants who have worked across multiple presidential administrations.”
The DNI’s office, the CIA, and the White House have been contacted for comment by the Daily Beast.
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