Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has formally referred two intelligence leaks to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution, citing national security risks and warning that additional referrals are imminent.
In a statement issued Wednesday via X, Gabbard underscored the dangers of politicized leaks from within the Intelligence Community and pledged full accountability for those involved.
Gabbard announced that a third referral is forthcoming, specifically citing a recent unauthorized disclosure to The Washington Post concerning matters involving Iran and Israel. The March leak was previously flagged during her earlier statements about increased scrutiny of Intelligence Community breaches.
No specific individuals have been named in the public disclosures thus far, and it remains unclear how the DOJ and F3BI will proceed with the referrals. However, Gabbard made clear her intention to pursue all legal avenues to address the breaches.
“These deep-state criminals leaked classified information for partisan political purposes to undermine POTUS’ agenda,” she wrote, stating her commitment to work with federal law enforcement to “investigate, terminate and prosecute” those responsible.
Appointed in February following a narrow Senate confirmation (52–48), Gabbard has made internal accountability a cornerstone of her tenure as DNI. A month into her role, she publicly vowed to root out politically motivated leaks within the Intelligence Community — a network of 18 agencies, including the CIA, NSA, and branches of military intelligence.
“Our nation’s Intelligence Community must be focused on our national security mission,” she emphasized, decrying the erosion of public trust caused by unauthorized disclosures. In March, she cataloged a series of specific leaks to major media outlets, including The Washington Post, HuffPost, The Record, and NBC, many of which involved sensitive international matters.
Gabbard concluded that thread by warning that “any unauthorized release of classified information is a violation of the law and will be treated as such.”
The heightened scrutiny follows revelations that The Atlantic accessed a Signal chat involving Trump administration officials discussing military action in Yemen.
National Security Adviser Mike Waltz accepted responsibility, attributing the breach to a misfired iPhone autocomplete feature. While the Trump administration maintains no classified material was disclosed, the controversy has added to the urgency of Gabbard’s crackdown on internal security.