The Republican leaders of the House and Senate intelligence committees have rejected a top-secret complaint from an anonymous government insider alleging that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard withheld classified information for political reasons.
The responses this week from Sen. Tom Cotton and Rep. Rick Crawford mean the complaint is unlikely to proceed further, though Democrat lawmakers who also have seen the document said they continue to question why it took Gabbard's office eight months to refer the complaint to Congress as required by law.
Gabbard's office has rejected any allegations of wrongdoing as well as criticism of the timeframe for the referral, saying the complaint included so many classified details that it necessitated an extensive legal and security review. Select lawmakers were able to view the complaint this week.
Cotton wrote Thursday on X that he agreed with an earlier inspector general's conclusion that the complaint did not appear to be credible. He said he believes the complaint was prompted by political opposition to Gabbard and the Trump administration.
“To be frank, it seems like just another effort by the president’s critics in and out of government to undermine policies that they don’t like,” wrote the Arkansas Republican, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee.
When asked about the complaint, Cotton's office referred to his social media post.
Crawford, the House Intelligence Committee chairman also of Arkansas, said he believes the complaint was an attempt to smear Gabbard’s reputation.
Democrats are pushing for explanations about why it took Gabbard's office months to refer the complaint to the required members of Congress. Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the senior Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the law requires such a report to be sent within 21 days.
“The law is clear,” Warner said Thursday at the Capitol. “I think it was an effort to try to bury this whistleblower complaint.”
Warner said he also still has questions about the details of the complaint, noting that it was heavily redacted.
The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, said in a written statement that he will keep looking into the matter.
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