Intelligence head Tulsi Gabbard asks Justice to investigate alleged leaks

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on social media that she has asked the Justice Department to investigate alleged “intelligence community LEAKS” by people she described as “deep-state criminals.”

Gabbard’s deputy chief of staff posted separately on X that “two intelligence community leakers” had been referred to the Justice Department, with a third referral on its way. The aide, Alexa Henning, said one of the leaks included information published in a recent Washington Post article on the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

The Justice Department declined to comment.

It is not uncommon for U.S. intelligence agencies to make a criminal referral to the Justice Department when classified information appears in media reports. When that happens, the department decides whether to investigate the matter or pursue criminal charges.

“Politicization of our intelligence and leaking classified information puts our nation’s security at risk and must end. Those who leak classified information will be found and held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Gabbard wrote on X on Wednesday. “These deep-state criminals leaked classified information for partisan political purposes to undermine POTUS’ agenda.”

Gabbard, who coordinates the work of 18 U.S. intelligence agencies, suggested in her post that the people allegedly involved in leaking information are still employed by the government.

She has said the Trump administration will aggressively investigate people at U.S. spy agencies who leak information to the public. But she has provided no details about how the administration intends to stop disclosures of sensitive national security information, a problem that has vexed past presidents.

In 2022, then-Attorney General Merrick Garland issued regulations to restrict how federal prosecutors can pursue leak investigations, saying that officials would no longer take reporters’ phone records to try to identify the sources for stories that describe classified information.

That policy change followed revelations that the Justice Department, while investigating leaks, sought to obtain communication records of reporters at The Post, CNN and the New York Times. Those investigations were meant to determine who had shared classified information with reporters during the first Trump administration, but the investigations carried over into the Biden administration.

Trump’s second administration appears to have launched a broad campaign against unauthorized leaks. Last week, three top aides to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth were removed amid an apparent inquiry into the leak of sensitive information, defense officials said.

At the same time, Hegseth has been under fire for how he handles secrets. He shared sensitive information about an upcoming U.S. strike on Yemen’s Houthis in two Signal chat groups. One was set up by Trump national security adviser Michael Waltz, who inadvertently included a journalist in the group. Another, which Hegseth established, included members of his family and his personal lawyer, The Post reported this week.