U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has accused entrenched “deep state” actors within America’s intelligence agencies of politicizing their work and working against the interests of the American people.
Speaking to FOX Business on Thursday, Gabbard claimed that some intelligence officials have created “pockets” within agencies where partisan views were embedded into intelligence assessments.
“There were a lot of pockets where the Deep State actors were very entrenched and were politicizing their centers or their positions, either against the American people… [or] creating intelligence products and inserting their own partisan political opinions and views,” Gabbard said.
She described such figures as “dangerous people” who put their own views above the U.S. Constitution and the authority of elected officials, including the president.
Gabbard, who took office as DNI with a pledge to overhaul the intelligence community, argued that the agencies have strayed from their core mission. “It’s very simple. The mandate the intelligence community has is to find the truth and to tell the truth,” she said, stressing that greater transparency was essential to ensure accountability.
Earlier this week, Gabbard revoked security clearances for 37 current and former intelligence officials, accusing them of politicizing intelligence work. The move, which she described as the “first step” in dismantling entrenched networks, targeted several prominent figures, including former NSA deputy director Richard Ledgett, former assistant secretary of state for intelligence and research Brett Holmgren, and former principal deputy director of DNI Stephanie O’Sullivan.
“The first step to aggressively get after our core national security mission [is to] root out those deep state actors,” Gabbard said.
The comments and sweeping clearance revocations mark the most direct challenge to the intelligence establishment by a sitting DNI in decades, setting the stage for potential clashes between Gabbard and longtime officials within the U.S. intelligence community.
